Posted on 09/13/2008 7:49:36 AM PDT by NutmegDevil
New Jersey Rejects Electoral College Two States Have Now Joined Compact To Give Their Votes To Winner Of The Popular Vote =============== (AP) New Jersey on Sunday became the second state to enter a compact that would eliminate the Electoral College's power to choose a president if enough states endorse the idea.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed legislation that approves delivering the state's 15 electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. The Assembly approved the bill last month and the Senate followed suit earlier this month.
Maryland - with 10 electoral votes - had been the only state to pass the compact into law. ....
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Marlton, NJ is a good place too — except it’s a communist hellhole. The Messiah will win NJ by 15 points. UGH!
Funny how prohibition got reversed so fast.
The smoking issue...is really "legislated prohibition".
I believe these measures are unconstitutional because they deprive the voters of their right to determine the electors in their own state. I cannot but think that they are unconstitutional under most states’ own laws. It not only subverts the purpose of the electoral college by replacing it with a dictatorship of the mob, it eliminates any possibility of small states having a say in the federal government.
While it’s not per se unconstitutional insofar as Article II, secs. 2 and 4 (and the Twelfth Amendment) go (the manner of choosing electors is up to the states), I believe this would constitute a deprivation of a constitutional right (to vote) without due process. If, in the off-chance that this actually gets adopted by enough states, it will be completely irrelevant what voters in Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Nebraska, Delaware, etc. think since you could do the math and determine which states in the aggregate would have enough popular votes to determine the outcome of a national election. In other words, a few coastal states plus Illinois, Ohio and Pensylvania would determine the outcome of every national election. Incredible. This is what passes for Progressive politics these days?
Let’s just throw the whole constitution out the window and have mob-rule. I knew Corzine was an idiot, but this takes the cake. Talk about disenfranchisement.
Just a reminder: Hillary was the first to scream “Get rid of the Electoral College”..After Gore lost.
Again, not quite accurate.
Legislature OR convention, as directed by Congress.
I know. We actually chose to move here from Texas when my wife finished medical school. She is in a fellowship now. When that is completed, we may move out of NJ, though we've established some strong roots here.
“No state shall, without the consent of Congress ...enter into any agreement or compact with another state” Article I, U.S. Constitution.
It seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? And it seems to me that Congress has to act first, and only then could the State Legislatures vote once more on this nitwit idea. The recent vote is merely a non-binding expression of opinion.
Liberal and Lawless both start with the letter “L”.
Moorestown as well. I've actually seen quite a few McCain yard signs there. Our daughters go to a very good school in Delran.
A.K.A., The Town With Too Much Time On Its Hands.
The day we have direct elections for President is the day this great Republic dies and is replaced by a dictatorship. I don’t doubt that there is a clever way by which some nefarious group of radicals believes they can get past the smell test on this, but they will have stiff challenges at many court levels and—assuming the public has not entirely lost it’s mind—we can push for a constitutional amendment to require that electors be chosen by the popular vote in each state. This is a stupid, evil idea.
This could put these two very blue states in the red column.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. I would get such a chuckle if my home state of Maryland was forced to cast its electoral votes for a Republican.
I noticed a LOT of states polling numbers have not been updated and posted in a couple of weeks. A lot has changed in that amount of time!
Probably a moot point since nobody running for office uses the word “republic” anymore. We’re all democrats now. But The constitution GUARANTEES to the states a REPUBLICAN FORM of government, and isn’t that the basis of the electoral college?
I suppose it had been the basis for the state legislatures, originally selecting their respective federal senators, too, but we forgot what a republic is.
Now the U.S. Senate is an elitist house of lords, because they feel no restraint from their state legislatures (which are closer to the common people), which I believe should have remained in place.
Congressman Billybob
Tenth in the ten-part series, "The Owner's Manual (Part 10) -- The Remaining Amendments"
Electors are chosen in the Manner as the Legislature of the State may direct. If every State passed a law allotting their electors based on the results of a single coin flip, it would be Constitutional. As CJ Roberts said, there are plenty of bad ideas which are Constitutional.
You are right! this will not happen in this election cycle . CBS is nuts to list the headline that way !
US Constitution Article II
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors...After allowing State Voters to determine the electors by majority vote; the US Constitution does not permit the State to determine how the Electors vote for President. Amendment II says the Electors vote!
Amendment XII The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least...These laws are only laying the groundwork for increased Constitutional crisis much worse than that fomented in the 2000 election. The Nation will be at the mercy of the most corrupt State political machines (Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Missouri, California, etc.) and the most corrupt voters. (ACORN, CPUSA, etc.)
The 2008 Democrat Primary was an exercise in similar disenfranchisement where some congressional districts (Strong Obama Districts) received extra delegates while other (Strong Clinton Districts) lost delegates. One man, one vote loses its meaning when one man receives one delegate and another man receives five. I only wonder if the Democrats plan to spring this disenfranchisement on any general election soon.
I agree. It undermines the concept of federalism and ignores how this nation was formed. I am puzzled, however, why we should “push for a constitutional amendment to require that electors be chosen by the popular vote in each state?”
They are incredibly stupid. This could only help the Republicans. Those states would be blue under the current system so by changing, it opens the best possibility for turning a blue state red. Talk about disenfranchisement of your citizens!
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