Posted on 07/31/2010 2:34:58 PM PDT by betty boop
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Senate has enacted a bill that would give the state's Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote.
The bill enacted by the Senate 28-9 Tuesday is part of a nationwide effort to secure the agreement of enough states so the winner of the national popular vote would be guaranteed to win the presidency.
The bill will now be sent to Gov. Deval Patrick, who has said in the past he supports the bill.
(Excerpt) Read more at masslive.com ...
Good points. Mass. is virtually certain to vote for Obama in 2012. Are they really saying that Mass. Democrat electors, who are party loyalists/activists, are going to vote for a Republican candidate if that candidate won the national popular vote?
It strains believability that loyal Democrat electors elected by their state voters, will vote Republican in such a case.
Don’t worry - this will be quickly repealed when the first Republican (2012?) wins the majority of national votes and Massachusetts after voting 80-20% for the democrat finds all its votes going to a Republican.
That will be cool when all of Massachusetts’ electoral votes go to Sarah Palin even though most of the state’s voters went for Obama.
This may be a good thing in MA and other liberal states. I assume their are many voters in MA who probably figure their conservative vote is a waste. However, if the final result is affected by the popular vote it could create an increase in conservative voters in liberal states and could create some surprises in local elections.
Mass Legislature is very good at quickly changing laws when the law they just put in doesn't work for them anymore.
Algore is still stuck in their craw. Each state, no doubt, also has a small unmarked warehouse to be filled with ballots waiting to be “recounted” when the time comes.
A state can do whatever it wants with in-state elections, but it shouldn’t be able to change the federal election process without an appropriate amendment to the U.S. Constititution.
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Agreed. In the case of Maine and Nebraska, they’ve split their EVs based upon the the popular vote in their congressional districts (with the overal state vote winner getting the final two). Even then, it’s based up their STATE vote counts, not national vote counts.
By awarding state EVs based upon a country-wide popular vote, you have created a backdoor method to override the Constitution. It also dinsenfranchises a state’s votes by deferring to other states.
Simply pass a Constitutional amendment, but the authors of this bill know it would never pass muster.
Here is their problem, MA and all these other states' legislatures that are passing this language:
The bill enacted by the Senate 28-9 Tuesday is part of a nationwide effort to secure the agreement of enough states so the winner of the national popular vote would be guaranteed to win the presidency.
They have gone on record with this to make an agreement, a compact between states, some of the bills use that very word. They tipped their hand, removed the ability to later claim it was happenstance occurrence. This is specifically prohibited by the Constitution, Article I, Section 10 - Powers prohibited of States:
No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.
There is now no reason for any candidate for President, whether Republican or Democrat, to visit Massachusetts during an election year.
Hey, Massachusetts, to all the liberal way.
Why have votes at all?
Just act like the Pelosibimbo and declare it a law with no votes and no debates.
That way, you’ll not even have to bother with the undocumented Democratic act you’re thinking up
Hope you enjoy the upcoming civil war.
Heh, and I hope you try driving through my state when it starts.
Well, that's just another part of the Constitution for this regime to ignore. And the masses, who were ignorant and stupid enough to elect this bunch, won't understand and won't care. They know more about what's new with American Idle.
is this the beginning of the second civil war?
elections ARE NOT part of the nobama plan!
It’s time to start thinking about throwing this state out of the union. Then they can demand aid from us as a third world banana republic leeching socialist state.
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.
So, under this bill GHW Bush’s landslide of ‘88 would have included Massachusetts electoral votes?
I can’t figure out why Massachusetts Democrats would support this? There doesn’t seem to be any upside for them.
We need a "Fort Sumter" event to kick things off.
YES it is. Except this war has already started, whether we have heard shots or not. Personally, I welcome it. The left is not strong enough to face the reality of war abroad, how can they hope to survive one at home?
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