General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAbolishing the Electoral College will take a Constitutional amendment, correct?
That will take years, won't it?
Wounded Bear
(58,719 posts)at least enough of them to pass an amendment, anyway. Why would the give up their power?
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)because it would require the small states to give up political power. Disunion is more likely first.
MaryMagdaline
(6,856 posts)BKDem
(1,733 posts)What do we have to do to add DC and PR as new states?
Hokie
(4,288 posts)Some amendments have gone through quickly. However, the Democrats would have to take over a bunch of state legislatures and both houses of Congress of course for this to ever happen. If all the states passed popular vote amendments it would effective neuter the electoral college.
elleng
(131,138 posts)and a constitutional convention opens too many worms, imo.
dubyadiprecession
(5,722 posts)But win the popular vote. It might be awhile before that happens.
In It to Win It
(8,285 posts)anymore.
BKDem
(1,733 posts)Codeine
(25,586 posts)would ever agree to give up that leverage, and why would they? We cant castigate people for voting against their interests and then demand someone else act in direct opposition to their interests.
yellowcanine
(35,701 posts)Loses the EC. In other words it will never happen.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)The electoral college system is at the HEART of the fundamental bargain that low population states and high population states made in 1787 to form a UNION of states that protects the rights (and sovereignty) of low population states from the tyranny of the majority.
We simply CANNOT get rid of the Electoral College unless 3/4 of the states agree to do so. The low population states wont agree to give up their extra power in the Senate and in the electoral college. Why would they?
Yes. Our system is undemocratic, but it was designed to be this way.
-Laelth
Azathoth
(4,611 posts)The Genealogist
(4,723 posts)The message I see is that California will decide all elections if the EC is banned. Lies, of course. As of right now, Trump got 4,630,099 votes in California. That's more votes than he has in Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho and Indiana combined. Lot of votes left on the table for Donnie.
still_one
(92,421 posts)At the same time states like Arizona and Georgia need grown to support us
beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)Towlie
(5,328 posts)It would be very hard to get rid of because it's very unfair. There are many rural, sparsely-populated, states that have far more power than they deserve due to benefiting from the power of their mandatory two senators and their minimum of one representative. Unfortunately they can't be expected to ratify an amendment that changes that.
Also, I live in southern Florida, a state that Trump won. It's really frustrating to me that my vote against Trump was effectively suppressed by the Trump supporters in northern Florida and the communism-fearing Cubans in Miami just because of where I live. If I lived in Arizona, Pennsylvania, or Georgia, I'd feel that I had more of a voice.
The Electoral College is stupider than scoring in bowling. As I'm currently saying below, "If the presidential election were currently decided by majority vote and someone suggested changing to the Electoral College system, how many would say "Wow, that's a great idea"?
The Revolution
(766 posts)I keep posting this, but repeal the Reapportionment Act of 1929 instead. This is the reason the EC is out of alignment with the population. And it is just a law, no ammendment required.
Fixes disproportionate representation ratios in the house as well. Replace it with the Wyoming rule to bump the house up to 600 some members, or just go all out and increase it to 1500+ members. Why not?
This is also more in line with what the founders intended.
https://wheresmyfuckingmoney.com/2020/05/repeal-the-reapportionment-act-of-1929