Move to Dump Electoral College Defeated in Montana, North Dakota

Newsmax ^ | 2-9-07 | AP via Newsmax

[Alia]

A movement to essentially dump the Electoral College and give the presidency to the winner of the nationwide popular vote has been defeated in North Dakota and Montana, after opponents said it would eliminate any influence states may have in presidential contests.

Thursday's votes represented the first legislative setbacks this year for the National Popular Vote plan, said spokeswoman Breeanna Mierop. It is a proposed agreement among states to cast their electoral votes for the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote.

"If you look at the population trends ... if this were to become the law, our presidential elections would be controlled by the vote in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston," said North Dakota state Rep. Lawrence Klemin, a Bismarck Republican. "They would decide who the president was, not the rest of us."

North Dakota's House voted 60-31 Thursday to defeat the plan. In the Montana Senate, it lost 30-20.

[Nomorjer Kinov]

Ending the Electoral College wouldn't have any effect on assisting or hindering alternative parties.

[savedbygrace]

Good. I would hate to be forced to fire on Fort Sumter again. /s/

Amazing, you don't look a day over a hundred.

;-)

[Dixie Yooper]

Why would people from these places of big land and few people be so fascinated by the thought of New York and California making all the decisions about what happens with their land and homes?

[Alia]

No flame from me; yours is a thought provoking comment.

The one good thing about ending the electoral college and also the reason none of you have to worry about it going away is the fact that it would open up the contest to third or fourth parties. I don't think many democrats nor Republicans would want to end their duopoly on the political process

So, why, do you think the Dems continue to raise this as a platform "peg"?

To "turn out the vote"? Something else?

[napscoordinator]

Wouldn't they always vote for the Republican? I mean have they ever voted for the Democrat for popular vote and the votes still went to Republican for electoral votes?

[Alia]

lol! One wonders, indeed! ;>

[metesky]

Yup, and IIRC, in the runup to the 2000 election both Gore and the Clinton camp thought that they would lose the popular vote but win in the EC and both camps (Gore/Clinton) wrote articles defending the EC.

[BuffaloJack]

The founding fathers knew what they were doing when they created the electoral college. I'm glad to see that the move to dump it failed. Evidently intelligence prevailed.

[kabar]

Its DOA. The libs can't win over the folks in Flyover Country.

Not so fast. All the proponents need is for states with a majority of the electoral votes to join the compact. This effort is not over by a long shot.

National Popular Vote

EVERY VOTE EQUAL

[Dixie Yooper]

And once they get rid of the electoral college, is the senate next? Why should all the little states get two votes in the senate, just like the big states? It's just not fair!

[LonePalm]

This time it would be Ft. Marcy but we have to be careful not to hit the Marine Corps Memorial.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[savedbygrace]

IMO, if this were to actually happen, the USSC would strike it down because the Constitution guarantees to each State a republican form of government. Ceding the vote for presidential electors to other States is ceding that republican form of government.

IMNLO (In My Non-Lawyer Opinion.)

[cdcdawg]

"Amazing, you don't look a day over a hundred."

seeing as how it is morning, and I am still on cup of coffee #1, I'll take that as a compliment and run with it.

[kabar]

The founding fathers knew what they were doing when they created the electoral college. I'm glad to see that the move to dump it failed. Evidently intelligence prevailed.

This isn't a move to end the electoral college. That would take a constitutional amendment, which would surely fail. This bipartisan effort is really an endrun around the electoral college. The objective is to "make every vote equal" by having the states who join this compact allocate their electoral votes on the basis of the national popular vote and not on the results within their particular state.

[Dixie Yooper]

In the middle east when an important issue comes up, the masses take the the street. Whoever has the largest, loudest and most violent crowd wins. The way it should be.

[Mo1]

Not so fast. All the proponents need is for states with a majority of the electoral votes to join the compact. This effort is not over by a long shot.

Which is why the libs have been working overing on the local level to get dems elected

[kabar]

Ceding the vote for presidential electors to other States is ceding that republican form of government.

That's not what they are advocating. They want enough states to enter a compact that would require them to allocate their electoral votes on the basis of the national popular vote. The states have that right. Maine and Nebraska allocate their electoral votes differently than other statesm i.e., winner take all.

[Nomorjer Kinov]

Democrats are remembering only 2000.
Here is a link to the 2004 election results. This manuver would have forced big blue states like NY, CA, MA, MD, RI, NJ and even PA to vote their electors for GW Bush. Think about the mandate he could have claimed then.

[NonValueAdded]

Surprised the margins weren't even wider. I hope those RATs hear about it in their next campaign. They could even do it as a parody of that Pace commercial. "Why were you willing to give over our state's influence to New York City?" "New York City!!!"

[E Rocc]

All the proponents need is for states with a majority of the electoral votes to join the compact

No, to amend the Constitution (which is what it would take) you need the approval of 38 state legislatures. In other words, 13 states (an interesting coincidental number) can block it.

-Eric