Posted on 12/23/2004 10:46:30 AM PST by johnny7
Moderate Dem wants Senate to vote on reform.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is lending her moderate voice to the fight to abolish the Electoral College, calling it an "anachronism" unsuited to the 21st century and promising to introduce legislation to provide for a popular election of the President and Vice President. "We need to have a serious, comprehensive debate on reforming the Electoral College," Feinstein said. "My goal is simply to allow the popular will of the American people to be expressed every four years when we elect our President."
Rob Richie, director of the Maryland-based Center for Voting and Democracy, applauded Feinstein's commitment to the issue, saying the Electoral College's winner-take-all system and partisan dominance in most states may lead to fierce competition in as few as five in 2008. "Most Americans never saw a presidential TV ad in their local market," Richie said. "In Toledo, Ohio, there were 1,400 or more. Some states get all the attention, others get none."
The last Senate vote on Electoral College reform was a quarter century ago, but with two back-to-back narrowly decided presidential contests, reform cries have again reached a peak. After President Bush won the 2000 election without the popular vote -- only the fourth such outcome ever -- Sen. John Kerry in November came only thousands of votes short of an Electoral College win, despite losing the popular vote by more than 3 million votes. San Francisco Republican Party chair Mike DeNunzio said his concern with Feinstein's proposal is that candidates would lose focus on states like Nevada or Iowa, but he agreed the issue deserves serious study. "They should be calling for a commission to rethink this as we go into the 21st century," DeNunzio said. "Some mending has to take place." An Electoral College reform proposal by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is pending in the House of Representatives, and, unlike Feinstein's plan, it would require a runoff if one candidate did not achieve more than 50 percent of the vote.
Attempts to Abolish
Since its inception as Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, there have been more than 700 attempts to abolish or amend the Electoral College system. It was modified by the 12th and 23rd Amendments.
In 1950, an amendment to make the electoral vote proportional to the popular vote passed in the Senate, but died in the House of Representatives.
In 1969, a proposal to shift to a direct popular election with a 40 percent threshold or a runoff passed the House, but failed in the Senate due to a filibuster.
In 1979, a proposal to abolish the college failed in the Senate.
-- Source: Center for Voting and Democracy
It would never pass
You'd have to get, what is it, 2/3rds of the states to ratify it ?
Not gonna happen, Feinstein.
She wouldn't be doing this if Ohio had been a bit closer in the last election.
Wouldn't be prudent.
Idiots can't see past 2000. Without the EC this last election is a blowout. W got nearly 4 million more votes than the French looking has been.
when they can't win by the rules then they want to change the rules...LMAO
I hope Condi Rice comes back in '06 to run against Feinstein...
3/4, I believe. What's with calling Feinstein "moderate". I always thought she was pretty far left.
It's 3/4 not 2/3 of States needed to ratify.
It's 3/4 not 2/3 of States needed to ratify.
If they ever do this it will be a far different America. One I suspect that even the Democrats will not like much.
Without the Electoral College, lower population states would find themselves ignored election after election. Eventually, they'd wise up and seek secession. There's wisdom behind its creation.
In the paper's eyes she is moderate. In the rest of America's eyes she is so far left that if she was playing right field she's be standing on teh tird base line.
That's right. It will take a Constitutional Amendment and the Red states won't support it. It may get some supprot in the population centers like NY and New England and CA and the rest of the west coast but the rest of the country will never support it.
Oh yeah, I'm going to go with the sage and all-knowing Feinstein over the Founding Fathers. The thing is, the Dems have missed the boat on this any - the population center of the country is moving south and west, forsaking the cities of the northeast.
The Electoral College was based on the system used by the Holy Roman Empire to elect emperors. George I of England had as one of his titles "Elector of Hanover".
The separate votes for states was a wonderful idea, and keeps corruption (think Cook County Illinois) from flowing over the state borders.
I really like the system in Nebraska and Maine. There corruption in one county is limited in effect to that congressional district, and the added electoral votes for the state. Arrange a conspiracy to commit felonies for 1% of the electoral votes? It hardly seems worth while!
Does anyone else feel this country is being methodically dismantled?
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