Poll: Should the Electoral College be replaced by popular vote in Presidential Elections? (members only)

[Machiavelli]

Poll: Should the Electoral College be replaced by popular vote in Presidential Elections?

[Cyber Liberty]

Poll: Should the Electoral College be replaced by popular vote in Presidential Elections?

I'm in the Constitutional camp, and I think any politician who espouses making an end-run around the Constitution with schemes like the National Popular Vote movement needs to be dogged out of office for it.

[ABX]

I'm in the Constitutional camp, and I think any politician who espouses making an end-run around the Constitution with schemes like the National Popular Vote movement needs to be dogged out of office for it.

Ditto. The electoral college system is there for a reason. It is a key element of our representational system to ensure that all citizens have a voice, not just those concentrated in a few population centers.

[driftdiver]

Ditto. The electoral college system is there for a reason. It is a key element of our representational system to ensure that all citizens have a voice, not just those concentrated in a few population centers.

Just call it what it is; the movement to only consider what residents in the highly populated states think.

California,
New York
Florida,
Texas
Pennsylvania
Ohio

nobody in any other state matters.

[Frank Cannon]

Ditto. The electoral college system is there for a reason. It is a key element of our representational system to ensure that all citizens have a voice, not just those concentrated in a few population centers.

You are aware that the College is populated with brain dead party hacks. There are instances where they voted for people not on the ballot because they were too drunk or stupid to fill the paperwork out properly. They are not the sober safeguard to the Constitution you think they are.

[Cyber Liberty]

Just call it what it is; the movement to only consider what residents in the highly populated states think.

California,
New York
Florida,
Texas
Pennsylvania
Ohio

nobody in any other state matters.

Of course, the upside to that is the politicians would spend all their time bothering the dimwits in those places.  After this election I could use a 50-year rest from having these peckerwoods running wall-to-wall commercials on my TV.

[Jazzhead]

The Electoral College and the two-party system are inter-related.   Together,  they encourage national candidates to appeal to a broad coalition rather than factions.   

[Taxcontrol]

I am of the opinion that the electors for the EC should be assigned on a per congressional basis - whoever gets the most votes in that district, should get that elector.

The two extra "senate" electors should be assigned as follows:
One elector goes to the candidate with the most votes in the totality of the state (if a tie, Governor decides)
One elector goes to the candidate with the most districts won within the state (if a tie, Governor decides)

[Cyber Liberty]

You are aware that the College is populated with brain dead party hacks. There are instances where they voted for people not on the ballot because they were too drunk or stupid to fill the paperwork out properly. They are not the sober safeguard to the Constitution you think they are.

I never considered the idiot hack electors to be any kind of safeguard.  I want to keep the Electoral College so small states get noticed, and you don't need faithless electors to get that.

[Machiavelli]

I'm in the Constitutional camp, and I think any politician who espouses making an end-run around the Constitution with schemes like the National Popular Vote movement needs to be dogged out of office for it.

Ditto. The electoral college system is there for a reason. It is a key element of our representational system to ensure that all citizens have a voice, not just those concentrated in a few population centers.

@Cyber Liberty @AbaraXas

I wasn't talking about an end run around the Constitution. This could only be changed via Constitutional Amendment, you know. I assumed that that was understood.

[Machiavelli]

I am of the opinion that the electors for the EC should be assigned on a per congressional basis - whoever gets the most votes in that district, should get that elector.

The two extra "senate" electors should be assigned as follows:
One elector goes to the candidate with the most votes in the totality of the state (if a tie, Governor decides)
One elector goes to the candidate with the most districts won within the state (if a tie, Governor decides)

 

[Cyber Liberty]

@Cyber Liberty @AbaraXas

I wasn't talking about an end run around the Constitution. This could only be changed via Constitutional Amendment, you know. I assumed that that was understood.

I know what you were asking, but I was pointing out there is a movement afoot to do an end-run.  My vote in the poll reflects this.

[Machiavelli]

I know what you were asking, but I was pointing out there is a movement afoot to do an end-run.  My vote in the poll reflects this.

That would be challenged. I can't see even a liberal SCOTUS upholding such a thing.

[Cyber Liberty]

That would be challenged. I can't see even a liberal SCOTUS upholding such a thing.

I can see the SCOTUS upholding it.  Examples:  1)  Robert's rewriting of Obamacare to make it a tax when it's a penalty, and 2) SCOTUS almost always defers to the states how they run their elections.  The only contrary example I can think of is when states attempted to impose limits on the terms of Congressmen.

I wish I could agree with you about the fire-stop SCOTUS is supposed to be, but they've destroyed any faith I once had in them.

[Sanguine]

Ditto. The electoral college system is there for a reason. It is a key element of our representational system to ensure that all citizens have a voice, not just those concentrated in a few population centers.

Ditto, and ditto.

[Cripplecreek]

I voted to keep it as is.

I would like the states to distribute electoral votes proportionally but not force the states to do so.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

That the EC elects Presidents is a huge non-issue.


Since 1876 it has happened ONCE, one single time, that a President has won the EC and lost the popular vote. One single time!


If you're running for office you better go for the popular vote because you are basically extremely unlikely to win the President and lose the popular vote.


Remember that BC won twice without winning the majority popular vote and I didn't see any liberals complaining then.

[bolobaby]

Just call it what it is; the movement to only consider what residents in the highly populated states think.

California,
New York
Florida,
Texas
Pennsylvania
Ohio

nobody in any other state matters.

And only a few metro areas inside those states at that.

Seven to be exact.

[Fantom]

I am of the opinion that the electors for the EC should be assigned on a per congressional basis - whoever gets the most votes in that district, should get that elector.

The two extra "senate" electors should be assigned as follows:
One elector goes to the candidate with the most votes in the totality of the state (if a tie, Governor decides)
One elector goes to the candidate with the most districts won within the state (if a tie, Governor decides)

   Glad you posted that. I have always espoused that the electors should be voted by Congressional district with the two Senate electors decided by popular vote in the State.

Likewise I would have any elector not won with 50% plus one, be selected in a runoff of the top two candidates the following week.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

EC votes awarded by proportion is a neat idea but I doubt it will ever happen.

[Cyber Liberty]

EC votes awarded by proportion is a neat idea but I doubt it will ever happen.

If there's a way to game the vote allocation, Dems will find it. 

Here in AZ, some folks with heads much larger than their brains figured it would be a swell idea to have an "independent commission" draw the Congressional District boundaries to get Gerrymandering out of the hands of the filthy Legislature (historically dominated by Republicans).  A ballot initiative was proposed and passed. The rules were the panel members cannot be elected officials and must be politically unaffiliated.  It was stacked with Dems the second time it was used, and until the 2014 election the majority of Congressmen in AZ were Dems.

[Machiavelli]

@Cyber Liberty

I posted the link to the guest version of the poll at several places.

One of the people at one of those places posted this link: National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

"The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among several U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their respective electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected president, and it will come into effect only when it will guarantee that outcome. As of 2016, it has been joined by ten states and the District of Columbia; their 165 combined electoral votes amount to 30.7% of the total Electoral College vote, and 61.1% of the 270 votes needed for it to have legal force..."
Is this what you were talking about?

[montanajoe]

Voted No keep it as it is.

Going to a popular vote would keep the idiot politicians out of rural America, and at this point in this election cycle that seems like a welcome relief but once this nightmare of an election is over my common sense should come back

[Cyber Liberty]

@Cyber Liberty

I posted the link to the guest version of the poll at several places.

One of the people at one of those places posted this link: National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

"The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among several U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their respective electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected president, and it will come into effect only when it will guarantee that outcome. As of 2016, it has been joined by ten states and the District of Columbia; their 165 combined electoral votes amount to 30.7% of the total Electoral College vote, and 61.1% of the 270 votes needed for it to have legal force..."
Is this what you were talking about?

@Machiavelli  Yes.  Exactly.

[Oceander]

Ditto. The electoral college system is there for a reason. It is a key element of our representational system to ensure that all citizens have a voice, not just those concentrated in a few population centers.