The End of the Electoral College Is Finally in Sight | Opinion

Newsweak ^ | Apr 19, 2024 | David Faris Associate Professor, Roosevelt University

[Baladas]

Earlier this week, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) decided not to veto an obscure law called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPV), which calls for the state's 4 Electoral College votes to be awarded to the presidential candidate who gets the most votes nationally regardless of the outcome in the state. The law doesn't go into effect, however, until states totaling 270 electoral votes join the compact. That's the number of Electoral College votes required to win the presidency. Once dismissed as an unworkable, almost farcical fantasy, the NPV just tallied its 209th electoral vote with Maine, and now has a clear path to victory. And that means that the Electoral College as we know it might not survive past the 2024 election cycle.

This is incredible news. The U.S. Electoral College is, by a quite considerable margin, the most unfathomably stupid democratic institution in the world. It has already malfunctioned twice this century by awarding the presidency to the person who received fewer votes from the American electorate. The 2000 election of George W. Bush, who steered us directly into three distinct catastrophes—the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the Great Recession—sent our new century disastrously off course in ways we are still feeling today. The even-more egregious 2016 elevation of former President Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote more decisively than Bush, resulted in the capture of the Supreme Court by reactionary conservatives for at least a generation.

[Baladas]

here's another 2nd generation ME immigrant that's in higher academia and is also apparently insane. This scheme would take a constitutional amendment which would NEVER get enough states to ratify it but never mind that.

[Pox]

Once they attempt to implement this “Pact” when they achieve the correct number of states, the lawsuits that will be filed should put a permanent end to these shenanigans.

We’ll see.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

That pesky Constitution.
Always in the way of a good time (bloody tyranny).

[Trump20162020]

Not really. As even Nate Silver wrote, they’re rapidly running out of low-hanging fruit states. Like this movement has less electoral votes right now than big loser Hillary Clinton received in 2016 (232).

Until a state that voted for Trump in 2016 signs on, it’s really not worth thinking about.

[packagingguy]

“The U.S. Electoral College is, by a quite considerable margin, the most unfathomably stupid democratic institution in the world.”

Then how is the UN Security Council any different? China, Russia, United Kingdom and France are permanent members.

Large countries like Indonesia, India and Brazil are only non-permanent members even though they have enormous populations.

[rfp1234]

This unfathomably stupid professor thinks we are not a constitutional representative republic, and evidently doesn’t give a RAT’s @$$ about states’ rights.

[Tzimisce]

Kon-sty-two-shun?

What’s that?

[G Larry]

"... the most unfathomably stupid democratic institution in the world.”

Perhaps that's why we have a Constitutional Republic and NOT a "democracy"?

[toddausauras]

They’re crazy stupid and dangerous. Yet this bozo thinks the electoral college is “stupid”.

[toddausauras]

They’re crazy stupid and dangerous. Yet this bozo thinks the electoral college is “stupid”.

[NorthMountain]

The U.S. Electoral College is, by a quite considerable margin, the most unfathomably stupid democratic institution in the world.

It is not a "democratic" institution; it is a federal republican institution. It is a brilliant method of preventing a democratic tyranny..

It has already malfunctioned twice this century

Indeed, it has functioned properly twice, ensuring ALL Americans have a voice, not just those living in densely populated cities.

[Gay State Conservative]

I'm no Constitutional scholar but it seems to me that this is unconstitutional. States can't enter into agreements of this kind with other states without the approval of Congress.For example: the states of New York and New Jersey were able to form "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey" (which manages bridges,tunnels and airports in both states) only because Congress approved.

It seems to me that this will have to be reviewed by SCOTUS at some point.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

This unfathomably stupid professor thinks we are not a constitutional representative republic, and evidently doesn’t give a RAT’s @$$ about states’ rights.

Pure "democracy" is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

The "perfesser" must be laboring under the delusion that he is a wolf.

[PBRCat]

Consider the source. The author is a professor at Roosevelt University: a bastion of leftism in Chicago since its founding in 1945.

[Sacajaweau]

Amend the constitution is the only way....and it will never happen.

[Puppage]

Oh, goodie! Now the island of Manhattan can usurp the entire state of Wyoming. The Electoral College is one of the most brilliant things ever designed.

[Jamestown1630]

They all want us to be a ‘democracy’. That’s why they keep calling us that.

[kiryandil]

David Faris thinks the US is a democracy.

Fail.

[ssfromla]

It is amazing to the hate dripping off the pages of these marxist journalists.

I get tired of them calling our electoral college system antiquated. They're so full of themselves with their attitudes I bet he couldn't sleep all night so he could put out what he considers a brilliant idea.

Something else punks like him do is call the founding fathers old white men when they were not old. In 1776 George Washington was 44, Thomas Jefferson was 33, John Hancock was 39, and the oldest was Benjamin Franklin and he was 70.

[hanamizu]

“...the most unfathomably stupid democratic institution in the world.”

---

Yes, the idea that the states, regardless of population, have some sort of say in the national government is really ‘stupid’. /s

Remind me, Prof. Faris, how is the PM of the UK elected to office? Is it the party that gets the most popular votes or the party that gets the most votes in Parliament? And what are your feelings about the Senate?