Monday, October 15, 2012

Rosy Idea for Electoral College Blues


The San Diego Union Tribune Editorial board correctly faults the current “winner-take-all” electoral college system for the Presidency. Under this program, certain states end up getting locked up under one party while eight swing states get all the attention.

However, the editorial board’s proposed reform, popular election, is not the best method to reinvigorate the process, since the President must represent the states as well as the people. Instead, the Congressional District Method  is a better method. Under this process, every state would allocate one electoral vote to each Congressional district in the state. The winner of the state-wide popular vote would win two electoral votes, based on the two Senators. This method is already in place in Nebraska and Maine, and at one time was up for discussion in Pennsylvania.

By attaching one electoral vote to each Congressional district in every state, the Congressional District method would force candidates to visit more states and sway prospective voters in every region. This reform would definitely put California in play, with Republican votes up for grabs in the South and West compared to the  more dominant liberal constituencies in Los Angeles and San Francisco, which up to know have turned California into a Democratic stronghold.

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