June 8, 2006
The Electoral College Posted by Joshua Zeitz at 10:10 AM EST A propos of the electoral college, I think Mr. Gordon is correct in claiming that it is here to stay—at least, that is, on a constitutional basis. But if opponents of the system are unlikely to amend the Constitution anytime soon, there is an interesting movement afoot to bypass the electoral college by other means.
The Constitution provides that states determine for themselves how to divvy up their electoral votes. Most states operate on a winner-takes-all basis, though a few states allocate electors by congressional district or in some other proportional fashion. A new organization drive, National Popular Vote, is hoping to convince state legislatures to pass identical statutes providing that their electoral votes be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote.
In other words, the idea is that, if Candidate X won New York State by a 20-point margin but lost the national popular vote to Candidate Y by even the slimmest of margins, New York State would award all of its electoral votes to Candidate Y.
The proposed legislation, which totals just 888 words, would not take effect until enough states ratified it to constitute a majority of the electoral college. Thus no single state legislature would be sticking its neck on the line in the event that only a handful of states agreed to the compact.
It’s an intriguing idea—one that surely appeals to liberals and conservatives alike. The compact provides for majority rule but also avoids wholesale constitutional revisionism; it bypasses a serious glitch in our democratic system while gesturing toward respect for our longstanding institutions.
On May 30 the California State Assembly passed the compact, and several other legislatures are likely to consider the proposal in the coming months (visit http://www.nationalpopularvote.com for details). Proponents still have a long road to travel. I doubt the issue will be settled by 2008. But 2012? Maybe.
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