Opinions of abolishing Electoral College

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

By the way, remember when there was a serious possibility of Obama winning the EV while Romney winning the PV? As much as I supported Obama, such possibility would be just as bad as when Republican wins this way.

Yet, although Hillary did narrowly carry the PV, we shouldn't use it as an excuse to ignore all massive developments that led to this outcome. Democrats did it in 2000, ignoring the fact Gore, while narrowly winning the PV, blew a winnable race.

[Storebought]

Abolishing the EC will also mean establishing or having to impose uniform voting standards and requirements on each of the states, or else taking elections entirely out of state control through a federal agency or department. In that event I am strongly for abolition of the EC.

[beaver2.0]

I'm opposed.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

By the way, remember when there was a serious possibility of Obama winning the EV while Romney winning the PV? As much as I supported Obama, such possibility would be just as bad as when Republican wins this way.

Yet, although Hillary did narrowly carry the PV, we shouldn't use it as an excuse to ignore all massive developments that led to this outcome. Democrats did it in 2000, ignoring the fact Gore, while narrowly winning the PV, blew a winnable race.

Not to mention that a few thousand votes had gone the other way in Ohio in 2004, Kerry would have won the EV while still losing the PV

[Vosem]

The Electoral College should not be abolished; the possibility of a close election on a national scale in a country with over 100 million votes needs to be averted. With that said, the Electoral College should be reformed (ideally, I think states' electoral votes should be distributed in accordance with popular vote proportions) to make the chance of it overturning a decisive popular vote victory less likely.

If that system were used, the result this year would've been 262 Clinton/Kaine, 262 Trump/Pence, 12 Johnson/Weld, 1 McMullin/Finn, and 1 Stein/Baraka. Allowing Johnson to be the kingmaker, or throwing the election to the House if he chooses not to exercise his kingmaker-ship, very likely resulting in a Trump win, would've been a fairer result to this election than what happened.

Voted no -- the Electoral College should not be abolished wholesale -- but it certainly needs reform.

[peterthlee]

Today, failed Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis (MA) called for an end to Electoral College, in the wake of Hillary going to win quadraple of Gore's margin.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/michael-dukakis-electoral-college-231298
Dukakis only lost by 7% of the PV but lost by a lopsided EV margin of 426-111, with one elector casting his vote for Lloyd Bentsen instead of him.
#RiggedSystem

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

What was the point of EC btw?

Madison preferred direct election but the Slave Power raised a stink because their franchise was much more restricted. Having Congress elect the President itself, like they now do in South Africa, was shot down because people were worried about 'intrigue'.

Madison also had a fear about the power of factions that might unduly impose their will on the nation as a whole without check. He perceived that these factions could be regional in nature and he didn't want a bare majority faction to defeat a substantial minority. De Toqueville described this as preventing a tyranny of the majority.

It is interesting to look at the last period in US history to see a split between the PV and EV winners, which was in the post-Reconstruction era. Both the 1876 and 1888 election saw the Dems win the PV yet lose the EV. The Dems had a huge surplus of votes in the Deep South and in 1888 a win of 49% to 48% in NY was enough to tip the EC to Harrison over the incumbent Cleveland.

Today the Dems have the same type of regional concentration of voters in the Northeast and West Coast that they had in the post-Reconstruction South. Narrow victories for the Pubs in key swing states can flip the EC as it did in both 2000 and 2016.

So a PV/EV split has never worked in the Democrats' favor? That's hilarious.

[Del Tachi]

Abolishing the EC will also mean establishing or having to impose uniform voting standards and requirements on each of the states, or else taking elections entirely out of state control through a federal agency or department. In that event I am strongly for abolition of the EC.

Very few people support this, so the EC will stay.

[mencken]

What was the point of EC btw?

Madison preferred direct election but the Slave Power raised a stink because their franchise was much more restricted. Having Congress elect the President itself, like they now do in South Africa, was shot down because people were worried about 'intrigue'.

Madison also had a fear about the power of factions that might unduly impose their will on the nation as a whole without check. He perceived that these factions could be regional in nature and he didn't want a bare majority faction to defeat a substantial minority. De Toqueville described this as preventing a tyranny of the majority.

It is interesting to look at the last period in US history to see a split between the PV and EV winners, which was in the post-Reconstruction era. Both the 1876 and 1888 election saw the Dems win the PV yet lose the EV. The Dems had a huge surplus of votes in the Deep South and in 1888 a win of 49% to 48% in NY was enough to tip the EC to Harrison over the incumbent Cleveland.

Today the Dems have the same type of regional concentration of voters in the Northeast and West Coast that they had in the post-Reconstruction South. Narrow victories for the Pubs in key swing states can flip the EC as it did in both 2000 and 2016.

So a PV/EV split has never worked in the Democrats' favor? That's hilarious.

The tipping point state has voted more Democratic than the nation as a whole a fair number of times, they have just had poor luck in the few times that the popular vote has been close enough to make a split possible.

[Pericles]

lol

Abolishing the Electoral College is not a ridiculous idea but a perfectly valid point, and at least rebut it more than with a 'lol'

[Pericles]

YES. The Electoral College should be abolished. It is an archaic 18th century system designed to protect slave states and it distorts the will of the people and means only a few swing states get the focus and not the needs of the entire nation. This is not a Democratic issue or Republican issue, it is the right thing to do. In 2012 Romney could have won the popular vote by over 1% and Obama still would have won the Electoral College. Whoever gets the most support should win, it is only right and fair.