These supporters of National Popular Vote are all dumb people?
Former Congressmen John Anderson (R–Illinois and later independent presidential candidate), John Buchanan (R–Alabama), Tom Campbell (R–California), and Tom Downey (D–New York), and former Senators Birch Bayh (D–Indiana), David Durenberger (R–Minnesota), and Jake Garn (R–Utah), and former Senator Fred Thompson (R–TN), Governor Jim Edgar (R–IL), Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R–GA)?
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).
Support for a national popular vote is strong among Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters, as well as every demographic group in virtually every state surveyed in recent polls
in recent or past closely divided Battleground states: CO – 68%, FL – 78%, IA —75%, MI – 73%, MO – 70%, NH – 69%, NV – 72%, NM– 76%, NC – 74%, OH – 70%, PA – 78%, VA – 74%, and WI – 71%;
in Small states (3 to 5 electoral votes): AK – 70%, DC – 76%, DE – 75%, ID – 77%, ME – 77%, MT – 72%, NE 74%, NH – 69%, NV – 72%, NM – 76%, OK – 81%, RI – 74%, SD – 71%, UT – 70%, VT – 75%, WV – 81%, and WY – 69%;
in Southern and Border states: AR – 80%, KY- 80%, MS – 77%, MO – 70%, NC – 74%, OK – 81%, SC – 71%, TN – 83%, VA – 74%, and WV – 81%; and
in other states polled: AZ – 67%, CA – 70%, CT – 74%, MA – 73%, MN – 75%, NY – 79%, OR – 76%, and WA – 77%.
In state polls of voters each with a second question that specifically emphasized that their state’s electoral votes would be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote in all 50 states, not necessarily their state’s winner, there was only a 4-8% decrease of support.
Question 1: “How do you think we should elect the President: Should it be the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states, or the current Electoral College system?”
Question 2: “Do you think it more important that a state’s electoral votes be cast for the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in that state, or is it more important to guarantee that the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states becomes president?”
Support for a National Popular Vote
South Dakota — 75% for Question 1, 67% for Question 2.
see http://tinyurl.com/3jdkx7x
Connecticut — 74% for Question 1, 68% for Question 2.
see http://tinyurl.com/3nv8djt
Utah — 70% for Question 1, 66% for Question 2.
see http://tinyurl.com/3vrfxyh
Americans believe that the candidate who receives the most votes should win.
NationalPopularVote
Yes. It is a ridiculous idea.
There are many problems with the National Popular Vote initiative. I have a lot of questions that have gone unanswered.
Interstate compacts require the consent of Congress. What is Congress' present position on this?
What happens if a state chooses to drop out of the compact after it is in force? Does the compact terminate until a replacement state can be found that regains the 270 electoral vote threshold?
States don't have to wait for a compact that reaches 270 electoral votes in order to do this. A state could choose now to bind their votes to the national popular vote regardless of what other states do. Why have no states done this? Why do you need to wait for a compact of states to join?
Do you think that non-compact states would go to the Supreme Court to try to stop this? Consider this: if states amounting to 270 electoral college votes compact together, this has the real effect of negating the electoral college votes of all the other states, rendering them unrepresented in the choosing of the President. Do you expect those states to stay quiet?
-PJ