National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

[Franzl]

It scares the hell out of me. Ideally, Congress would pass a law preventing this system.

If the electoral college must go, it would be better if we just abolished it. I won't support anything like this, however.

How exactly would a piece of legislation override the Constitution?


I tend to support this, btw. Even if it'd make presidential elections less interesting.

[Franzl]

It effectively takes away the electoral votes of states not part of the compact

Not at all. They still retain all the electoral votes they previously had.

[Franzl]

Isn't that sort of what the current system is?  Each state's electoral votes going to the one with a plurality of the popular vote?

Read about it again....

[Franzl]

Anyway, I think this system is wrong, because if it gets passed (which I doubt it will), the states that haven't signed the compact are going to be totally irrelevant to the election.

Incorrect, it changes absolutely nothing. Every state still retains their electoral votes and they are all able to distribute them as they see fit.

[Franzl]

Anyway, I think this system is wrong, because if it gets passed (which I doubt it will), the states that haven't signed the compact are going to be totally irrelevant to the election.

Incorrect, it changes absolutely nothing. Every state still retains their electoral votes and they are all able to distribute them as they see fit.

     While they do get to distribute them as they see fit, it seems rather disingenuous to me to say that it changes absolutely nothing. As Rochambeau pointed out, this would be essentially the same thing as replacing the electoral college with a nationwide popular vote; in other words, how the other states distribute their electoral votes would be rendered trivial. Maybe it wouldn't make a difference most of the time, but it would make a difference in elections like 2000.

Still, the system remains identical. Each state will have a method for determining electors (in this case a majority going to the natinoal popular vote). That doesn't make any state any more irrelevant that it already was.

[Franzl]

Anyway, I think this system is wrong, because if it gets passed (which I doubt it will), the states that haven't signed the compact are going to be totally irrelevant to the election.

^^^^

Not any less relevant than states now that vote for the loser.

Actually, under this system, even a vote in Utah matters.

[Franzl]

This is quite a convoluted solution to fixing quite a retarded problem.

The only reason why it's a "problem" is that it didn't let Gore win, and everyone knows that.

The real problem is how the states that form this compact still can't get over it, and just move on (it should be noted that all 5 states in this compact voted for Gore).

incorrect, it's a problem because it's stupid.

[Franzl]

Perhaps we can say it like this, TC: The election of 2000 only highlighted a big problem that was bound to happen again in modern times eventually. I don't care one bit about Gore, it's just an inherently flawed system.

[Franzl]

This is pretty damn stupid, especially considering the loser of the popular vote has only been elected President once in the past 130 years.  Plus ... I know all you liberals who want big cities to elect the President are supporting this, but think about it.  No more "Electoral College Calculator".  "Discuss with maps" will become an anachronism.  Is electing a President who shares your ideological beliefs really more important than having fun, exciting elections with maps?

If you answer yes, you're not a true political junkie.

One would think that having a fair electoral system would be more important than drawing colorful maps...

[Franzl]

There is a fair amount of speculation that an Obama-Palin contest in 2012 would encourage Bloomberg to jump in and spend a billion or two.  Bloomberg could possibly win several states perhaps NY, NJ, CT, FL, and/or CA. This might result in no candidate getting 270 EV which, under the 12th amendment, would then send the election to the House.  However, if the National Popular Vote Compact had passed, then the 12th amendment would never come into play.  Thus this multi-state law would render a Constitutional Amendment null and void.
States can not avoid the Constitution by joint laws, hence it would seem the National Popular Vote Compact would be quickly judged unconstitutional.

So much stupidity in one post...