tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post9007755886402016297..comments2024-02-07T00:13:30.741-08:00Comments on The Existentialist Cowboy: Restore Democracy: Abolish the Electoral CollegeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598093941551759917noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-54690797879900821072010-01-13T03:26:36.995-08:002010-01-13T03:26:36.995-08:00I appreciate the work of all people who share info...I appreciate the work of all people who share information with others.College Research Paperhttp://www.researchpaperspot.com/college_research_papers.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-22032262503453688832009-11-12T02:42:44.889-08:002009-11-12T02:42:44.889-08:00Anonymous sez...
...the President, presidential c...Anonymous sez...<br /><br /><em>...the President, presidential candidates concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided "battleground" states. ...98% of the 2008 campaign events involving a presidential or vice-presidential candidate occurred in just 15 closely divided "battleground" states.Two-thirds of the states and people have been merely spectators to the presidential elections. </em><br /><br />That sums it up precisely and succinctly. Basically, the will of the people is moot. Now --candidates will still concentrate on more populous states but less so, I suspect, because the utter neglect of many smaller states voting the other way could be disastrous in any system that accurately reflects the will of the people. The question, again, is who elects the President and to whom is he/she responsible to --the states or the people? <br /><br />Relatedly --there are many states whose electoral voice is routinely ignored by Presidential candidates. And combined their voice in Congress is all but ignored. The states might as well secede and form their own 'state'. <br /><br /><em>Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. </em><br /><br />I support that! The President, then, is responsible to the people, his electorate.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04598093941551759917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-79666127675047723882009-11-11T16:19:38.234-08:002009-11-11T16:19:38.234-08:00The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the...The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). <br /><br />Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. <br /><br />The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes--that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). <br /><br />The Constitution gives every state the power to allocate its electoral votes for president, as well as to change state law on how those votes are awarded. <br /><br />The bill is currently endorsed by over 1,659 state legislators (in 48 states) who have sponsored and/or cast recorded votes in favor of the bill. <br /><br />In Gallup polls since 1944, only about 20% of the public has supported the current system of awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in each separate state (with about 70% opposed and about 10% undecided). The recent Washington Post, Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University poll shows 72% support for direct nationwide election of the President. This national result is similar to recent polls in closely divided battleground states: Colorado-- 68%, Iowa --75%, Michigan-- 73%, Missouri-- 70%, New Hampshire-- 69%, Nevada-- 72%, New Mexico-- 76%, North Carolina-- 74%, Ohio-- 70%, Pennsylvania -- 78%, Virginia -- 74%, and Wisconsin -- 71%; in smaller states (3 to 5 electoral votes): Delaware --75%, Maine -- 77%, Nebraska -- 74%, New Hampshire --69%, Nevada -- 72%, New Mexico -- 76%, Rhode Island -- 74%, and Vermont -- 75%; in Southern and border states: Arkansas --80%, Kentucky -- 80%, Mississippi --77%, Missouri -- 70%, North Carolina -- 74%, and Virginia -- 74%; and in other states polled: California -- 70%, Connecticut -- 74% , Massachusetts -- 73%, New York -- 79%, and Washington -- 77%.<br /><br />The National Popular Vote bill has passed 29 state legislative chambers, in 19 small, medium-small, medium, and large states, including one house in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oregon, and both houses in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The bill has been enacted by Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington. These five states possess 61 electoral votes -- 23% of the 270 necessary to bring the law into effect.<br /><br />See http://www.NationalPopularVote.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-55404299457202700432009-11-11T16:19:07.304-08:002009-11-11T16:19:07.304-08:00Under the current system of electing the President...Under the current system of electing the President, presidential candidates concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided "battleground" states. 98% of the 2008 campaign events involving a presidential or vice-presidential candidate occurred in just 15 closely divided "battleground" states. Over half (57%) of the events were in just four states (Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia). Similarly, 98% of ad spending took place in these 15 "battleground" states. Similarly, in 2004, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their money and campaign visits in five states and over 99% of their money in 16 states. <br />Two-thirds of the states and people have been merely spectators to the presidential elections. Candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the voter concerns in states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. The reason for this is the winner-take-all rule enacted by 48 states, under which all of a state's electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state. <br /><br />Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide. This has occurred in one of every 14 presidential elections.<br /><br />In the past six decades, there have been six presidential elections in which a shift of a relatively small number of votes in one or two states would have elected (and, of course, in 2000, did elect) a presidential candidate who lost the popular vote nationwide.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com