States attempting to change voting rules for 2016 election

[MoFinz]

Keep the electorial college. Just have the federal government make the rules the same for every state. Rigging the system (like the GOP has tried to do for over a year and plans to continue attempting for the next 4 years) hurts everyone, no matter what their political leanings are.

Again, totalitarian rule, etc etc etc.

I'd be all for it...both sides have rigged and redistrcited to the point of being obscene. Too bad they will never propose it nor let it happen. Powers corrupts...that old chestnut

[TheWalrus]

Didn't you hear? Those jackasses and scoundrels left you ways to change things, just in case you didnt like what they gave you. But then, it is easier to bitch and belittle than it is to actually take a stand
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I've been pretty clear that I stand for a popular vote system.

[TheWalrus]

I love how people think just switching to a popular vote is the fix for everything. You all skip 2 major points.

1) Middle America will be pissed because their voices wont weigh the same as populated metropolitan centers. Their agendas wont advance (not an alltogether bad thing from my standpoint. Im all for cleaning up subsidies)

2) Why does it matter? As long as we limit ourselves to two parties, were always going to elect someone beholden to the special interest groups and lobbies, and not to US

It won't fix everything, obviously. Who's saying that?

But I don't think it will happen. The states that are swing states like that they're swing states. They get the money and the attention. And conservative states as a whole wouldn't go for it because they're the ones that benefit the most from an electoral college system. If you look at the amount of population per electoral vote, the liberal states are the ones "penalized" the most. I don't have the chart handy but I seem to remember that a vote in Wyoming is worth about three times as much as a vote in California, electorally.

The best part about it is I think it would raise turnout. If you live in a state where the presidential outcome is already predetermined, that has a negative impact on your motivation to vote. A popular vote system would give everyone an equal shot of affecting the outcome. The downside (which you're alluding to) would be that the middle of the country (so-called "flyover country") would be fairly well ignored in exchange for a bigger focus on metropolitan centers.

[MoFinz]

Everyone wants a hand in the kitty......look at the districs in Virginia in 1983 (the first year i was allowed to vote in Virginia) versus the districts now. No contiguous lines existed then and they dont exist now....the state is carved up by both parties when theyre in power to serve their own (politicians) interests.

This bill is not a new idea...it was floated by Dems when they had power to. Bad ideas dont go away, they just hibernate until the idiots are awakened

[NY8123]

The founding fathers made the Electoral College because they realized the majority does not always have the best interests of the minority at heart, the college was an effort to quell this from happening. if they don't want to vote for the majority vote just don't. 24 states currently have no laws on the books making electors vote for the popular vote, the college electors at least in the case of 24 states can vote for anyone regardless of popular vote.

The problem is no one has had the balls to go against the voters in this method because they are afraid to loose said balls in the riot that is likely to ensue.

[TheWalrus]

The founding fathers made the Electoral College because they realized the majority does not always have the best interests of the minority at heart, the college was an effort to quell this from happening. if they don't want to vote for the majority vote just don't. 24 states currently have no laws on the books making electors vote for the popular vote, the college electors at least in the case of 24 states can vote for anyone regardless of popular vote.

As a practical matter, though, I believe the electors are chosen by the respective parties, and they pick loyalists. If I'm not mistaken however, the rationale behind the electoral college though wasn't to protect the minority, it was a check in case the majority picked someone that educated landowners (who were the electors in the early days) felt completely objectionable. That's a little different.

The problem is no one has had the balls to go against the voters in this method because they are afraid to loose said balls in the riot that is likely to ensue.

I can only think of one instance where an elector went against who had won his state, and that's when James Monroe swept every state. One of the electors felt only Washington should get every electoral college vote so he voted for the other guy. No one has won every state since.

[NY8123]

As a practical matter, though, I believe the electors are chosen by the respective parties, and they pick loyalists. If I'm not mistaken however, the rationale behind the electoral college though wasn't to protect the minority, it was a check in case the majority picked someone that educated landowners (who were the electors in the early days) felt completely objectionable. That's a little different.



I can only think of one instance where an elector went against who had won his state, and that's when James Monroe swept every state. One of the electors felt only Washington should get every electoral college vote so he voted for the other guy. No one has won every state since.

Like I said the minority.

[TheWalrus]

Like I said the minority.

There's a bit of difference between protecting the minority generally and protecting yourself when you're a part of the minority. The founders were doing the latter. It would be like saying my support for civil rights is the same whether I'm a minority or not.

[NY8123]

There's a bit of difference between protecting the minority generally and protecting yourself when you're a part of the minority. The founders were doing the latter. It would be like saying my support for civil rights is the same whether I'm a minority or not.

Lol silly Walrus did you think I meant the Ethnic minority lol. I meant the rich white minority.