i know this gets debated from time to time, but considering how long it takes to amend our constitution, perhaps now is the time to set the wheels in motion.
As someone who just watches these things from afar, i wouldn't presume to tell you what to do.
However, when watching the proceedings in one's living room at 3am on a cold November morning, it would be quite novel if i was watching an election decided by American voters as a whole rather than just, say, voters in Florida.
That would deny representation to pretty much everyone who isn't in Cali or NYC. what would be better instead is a proportional distribution of the electoral votes based on the popular vote.
My own suggestion would be to draft in an expert to devise the ideal electoral solution.
I nominate brother Watermark.
As someone who just watches these things from afar, i wouldn't presume to tell you what to do.
However, when watching the proceedings in one's living room at 3am on a cold November morning, it would be quite novel if i was watching an election decided by American voters as a whole rather than just, say, voters in Florida.
yeah, because cities don't have enough influence already
yeah, because cities don't have enough influence already
That would deny representation to pretty much everyone who isn't in Cali or NYC.
what would be better instead is a proportional distribution of the electoral votes based on the popular vote.
No it wouldn't. It would do just the exact opposite. You'd give overwhelming political influence and representation to the least populated sections of the nation. That's neither fair or democratic. If you apportioned the electoral votes in the States according to congressional districts (which is what the electoral votes/college is based on) than you would have gaurenteed that Mitt Romney would have won the Presidential election despite losing the popular vote by a substantial margin. That's neither fair or Democratic. For example, in Ohio, and this is true in most States, we have 18 congressional districts. Seven of those districts represent urban areas of the state were 2/3rd of the population reside. Eleven of those districts are in rural regions of the State and account for 1/3 of the population. So dividing the electoral votes proportionately between congressional districts would give 1/3 of the population the deciding votes. Rural regions in our State are already grossly over represented as they are nationally . So dividing the electoral votes of each State proportionately would give rural regions absolute control of the Government. So proportional distribution of electoral votes in each state is a bad idea, it's undemocratic and it's grossly unfair to urban/suburban regions.That would deny representation to pretty much everyone who isn't in Cali or NYC. what would be better instead is a proportional distribution of the electoral votes based on the popular vote.
LOL Clever Charver....very clever...but we can see what you're up to. Two weeks after the first election Skidmark would devise we'd all be drinking warm beer and singing "God Bless The Queen!"My own suggestion would be to draft in an expert to devise the ideal electoral solution.
I nominate brother Watermark.
Actualy they don't. In most States rural regions have nearly a 2 to 1 advantage in representation over urban/suburban regions. Rural areas are grossly over represented already. That is they have 2/3 of the political influence while having far less than half the population. In most midwest, southern and western states rural regions represent 1/3 of the population but have 2/3 or more of the political representation. Cities and urban areas do in fact need more political representation.yeah, because cities don't have enough influence already
That falls apart when you combine suburbs/exurbs as part of a statistical metropolitan area. More than half the populationof the nation lives in metropolitan areas contiguous to major cities. Sure suburban areas tend to be swing vote regions but if you went with a pureley population based national election than national candidates would focus on the NE region megalopolis, the great lakes region megalopolis, the Florida coast, the Texas Triangle, the Pacific Coast and that would be about it.With National Popular Vote, every vote would be equal. Candidates would reallocate their time, the money they raise, and their ad buys to no longer ignore 80% of the states and voters.
With National Popular Vote, big cities would not get all of candidates’ attention, much less control the outcome.
The population of the top five cities (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia) is only 6% of the population of the United States and the population of the top 50 cities (going as far down as Arlington, TX) is only 15% of the population of the United States.
Suburbs and exurbs often vote Republican.
If big cities controlled the outcome of elections, the governors and U.S. Senators would be Democratic in virtually every state with a significant city.
A nationwide presidential campaign, with every vote equal, would be run the way presidential candidates campaign to win the electoral votes of closely divided battleground states, such as Ohio and Florida, under the state-by-state winner-take-all methods. The big cities in those battleground states do not receive all the attention, much less control the outcome. Cleveland and Miami do not receive all the attention or control the outcome in Ohio and Florida.
The itineraries of presidential candidates in battleground states (and their allocation of other campaign resources in battleground states) reflect the political reality that every gubernatorial or senatorial candidate knows. When and where every vote is equal, a campaign must be run everywhere.
With National Popular Vote, when every vote is equal, everywhere, it makes sense for presidential candidates to try and elevate their votes where they are and aren't so well liked. But, under the state-by-state winner-take-all laws, it makes no sense for a Democrat to try and do that in Vermont or Wyoming, or for a Republican to try it in Wyoming or Vermont.
Even in California state-wide elections, candidates for governor or U.S. Senate don't campaign just in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and those places don't control the outcome (otherwise California wouldn't have recently had Republican governors Reagan, Dukemejian, Wilson, and Schwarzenegger). A vote in rural Alpine county is just an important as a vote in Los Angeles. If Los Angeles cannot control statewide elections in California, it can hardly control a nationwide election.
In fact, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland together cannot control a statewide election in California.
Similarly, Republicans dominate Texas politics without carrying big cities such as Dallas and Houston.
There are numerous other examples of Republicans who won races for governor and U.S. Senator in other states that have big cities (e.g., New York, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts) without ever carrying the big cities of their respective states.
With a national popular vote, every vote everywhere will be equally important politically. There will be nothing special about a vote cast in a big city or big state. When every vote is equal, candidates of both parties will seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns throughout the states in order to win. A vote cast in a big city or state will be equal to a vote cast in a small state, town, or rural area.
Candidates would need to build a winning coalition across demographics. Candidates would have to appeal to a broad range of demographics, and perhaps even more so, because the election wouldn’t be capable of coming down to just one demographic, such as waitress mom voters in Ohio.