Major campaign underway to nullify Electoral College

[Simfan34]

I don't see a multi-party system developing any time soon.

[muon2]

I don't see a multi-party system developing any time soon.

Three-way races are not uncommon, and this type of proposal would encourage multiple presidential candidates. There's nothing wrong with that if there's a mechanism to provide a runoff. The EC does that in a pre-modern-technology way. Any modern proposal should be able to address an outcome with a small minority plurality, and relying on the fact that it hasn't happened recently does not provide me with comfort when it come to the presidency.

[Diabolical Minds Think Alike]

How come I haven't seen this thread before?!

[I left.]

This continues to be one of these uniquely American debates, creating problems that don't exist and not looking at any other countries and learning from them.

There is no possible, legitimate argument in favor of the Electoral College. I'm aware of the difficulty associated with changing the Constitution, but that doesn't make this issue any less absurd.

[True Federalist]

There is no possible, legitimate argument in favor of the Electoral College.

Wrong.

First off, while nowhere near as diverse as they were when the Constitution is adopted, the States have varying voter registration requirements. Secondly, voter participation rates vary as well. The EC serves as a mechanism to balance those out, though the added EVs from the Senate should probably go.  In an idealized EC system for the United States, the voters of each state and territory would select 1 elector per 50,000 resident citizens with the electors being proportionately elected based on who they pledged to support.

Not that I think we'll ever get that system for much the same reasons why we won't get rid of the EC until and unless we rewrite the Constitution from scratch.

[Mr. Morden]

So there's talk now about how Obama is doing better in statewide polls than he is in national polls.  While it's quite a longshot, what do you think would be the impact on the NPV's prospects if Obama ends up winning reelection via the electoral college despite losing the national popular vote?  Would enough Republicans suddenly become supporters that it would start passing in heavily GOP states, and actually manage to reach 270 EV and be enacted by the end of the decade?

I don't see small GOP-controlled states going that way. The EC gives them more voice than NPVIC. It would be interesting to watch a state like TX, however. They could suddenly be on the radar for presidential campaigns with NPVIC in place.

It doesn't have to be the small GOP-controlled states, large/medium ones will do as well.  The NPVIC just needs something beyond the present band of Democratic-leaning states where it's been passed.  If it passes in NY, then that group will be mostly tapped out.  It needs to pass in some Republican or swing states, which means that it needs more GOP support.  If Romney wins the popular vote but loses the presidency because of the electoral college, then maybe it'll pick up some of that needed GOP support.

[greenforest32]

There really hasn't been any action on this since 2011 and the Oregon state house just passed it 38-21: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ore-House-backs-popular-vote-to-elect-president-4445731.php

April 18, 2013

ALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon House has voted to join a movement seeking to elect the president by the national popular vote.

The legislation would require Oregon to cast its seven Electoral College ballots for the candidate who wins the national vote, rather than the one who gets the most votes in Oregon.

It would take effect only if a compact is enacted in states with a majority in the electoral college.

I don't see the compact hitting 270 EVs in 2016 if it's only Democrats pushing it. There's too many Republican state legislatures or Republican Governors that would veto it like in NV/NM/etc (Arnold vetoed it twice in California) for that to happen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Interstate_Compact#Currently_active_bills

[Californian Tony]

What we need is a Republican winning the popular vote and losing in the EC. With 2012 being closer, it could have happened. And it's even more likely to happen during the two elections before the next reapportionment.

[Stranger in a strange land]

What we need is a Republican winning the popular vote and losing in the EC. With 2012 being closer, it could have happened. And it's even more likely to happen during the two elections before the next reapportionment.

More likely, they would just try to allot EVs by congressional districts in swing states where they control the legislature, while making sure that solid Republican states continue to use WTA.