Posted on 11/22/2016 10:44:54 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Charles B. Rangel introduced, H.J. Res 103, a bill today that would allow Congress to vote to eliminate the Electoral College system and decide future presidential elections by the outcome of the popular vote. This legislation is the House companion bill to S.J.Res.41, introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) on November 15, 2016.
“I came to Congress on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, and I know how hard we fought for the sacred right to vote,” said Rangel. “To protect it, everyone should have access to the vote, and every vote must count. The fact that a candidate can receive more votes than the other but lose the election is fundamentally undemocratic.”
Secretary Hillary Clinton, who received at least 62,825,754 votes in the presidential election, won the popular vote over Donald Trump. It is estimated that by the time all the votes are counted, Secretary Clinton may win the popular vote by over two million votes and more than 1.5 percentage points. However, Secretary Clinton lost the Electoral College 232 to 306. This makes Donald Trump the fifth person in U.S. history and the second this century to lose the popular vote and still win the presidency.
The Boxer-Rangel legislation seeks to amend the U.S. Constitution and abolish the Electoral College. The amendment would take effect if ratified by three-fourths of the states within seven years after its passage in the U.S. Congress.
“It is time that we do away the antiquated and obsolete Electoral College system. True democracy should guarantee one person, one vote,” Rangel added.
Congressman Charles B. Rangel, who represents the 13th Congressional District of New York that includes Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, will be retiring at the end of the 114th Congress after 46 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is currently the second longest serving member in the U.S. Congress. A champion of civil rights, he marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 with John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr.
Text of Bill below:
H. J. RES. 103
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the Electoral College and to provide for the direct popular election of the President and Vice-president of the United States.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:
The President and Vice President shall be jointly elected by the direct vote of the qualified electors of the several States and territories and the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States. The electors in each State, territory, and the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the legislative body where they reside.
Congress may determine the time, place, and manner of holding the election, the entitlement to inclusion on the ballot, and the manner in which the results of the election shall be ascertained and declared.
Another poster boy for Upstatehood.
Why doesn’t ‘democracy’ have the second place finisher becoming the vice-president? That would shake things up.
Good luck. 38 states have Republican Governors and most of them have a Republican Legislature too.
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie...
Trying to give America “ a one way ticket to Palookaville”.
How about a bill to make fat lazy Democrats pay their taxes?
The problem is, we have let Executive Orders override the Constitution, and there have been no repercussions or ramifications at all. Nobody objects (except for us). Nobody calls him on it.
In that respect, we are closer to being a banana republic than a republic these days.
Idiot CONgre$$man Charles B. Rangel and the remainder of the Gang of 535 idly standing by, should be in federal prison.
Socialism Is Legal Plunder - Bastiat
It’s a violation of his oath of office to uphold constitution.
Charlie - pay your taxes....
I could have seen the point until reading that 3 million illegal aliens admitted to voting. For all of it’s controversies, the electoral college prevented California and New York from changing the outcome of the election with illegal votes.
Congress does not have the authority to abolish the electoral collage and Rangel, a smart guy, knows this.
The Districts exist to support the Capital.
That actually was the original system, but the development of formal political parties mucked it up. Electors voted for two candidates, and any candidate receiving the highest electoral vote total became President and the second place finisher became VP.
The problem with this system became apparent in the election of 1800. This was the first election in which there were formal political parties. Naturally, each party had two candidates. The Democratic-Republicans defeated the Federalists, but their electors cast equal numbers of votes for both Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. That threw the election to the House of Representatives. The House had difficulty reaching a majority because The Federalist-controlled delegations supported Burr in opposition to the Dem-Rep party leaders who favored Jefferson (who the party had intended to be their actual Presidential choice all along).
Eventually the Delaware delegation (Actually just a single Representative) ended up supporting Jefferson and breaking the deadlock. The 12th Amendment was ratified before the 1804 election to fix the system, and this put in place the system currently in use (essentially the same - the 20th Amendment made some slight modifications dealing with cases where no EC majority is attained).
Not singling you out since others have posted similarly, but read the text of the bill at the bottom of the original post. Rangel knows full well that an Amendment is needed and the text of the bill quite clearly states that this IS an Amendment proposal that would require a 2/3 majority of both houses of Congress to pass, followed by ratification by 3/4 of the states to take effect.
He also is well aware that there’s a better chance of Trump dumping Melania and marrying Hillary than there is of this proposed amendment being ratified. It’s all for show; he’s throwing red meat to his rabid left-wing base.
An impossibility.
Article V
The Congress, whenever TWO THIRDS of BOTH houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of TWO THIRDS of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of THREE FOURTHS of the several states, or by conventions in THREE FOURTHS thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. (CAPS by me)
Who controls a majority of the House, Senate, State Houses, State Legislatures?
Is it Democrats? I DON’T THINK SO
election 2016 map
Isn’t he the “sharks still swim the slave-ship routes from Africa to the U.S.” guy?
No. none of them were Rangel. He’s the stupid one.
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