After Stinging Presidential Loss, Popular Vote Movement Gains Momentum In States

[DonViejo]

February 24, 20197:00 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday

SAM BRASCH

An attempt at an Electoral College workaround is gaining momentum in the Mountain West.

Democrats in Colorado and New Mexico are pushing ahead with legislation to pledge their 14 collective electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote — no matter who wins each state.

The plan only goes into effect if the law passes in states representing an electoral majority. That threshold is 270 votes, which is the same number needed to win the presidency.

Democrats have been stung by the fact that President Trump's victory marked the second time in five cycles that a Democrat lost the presidency while winning the popular vote. 2016 was the most egregious example, with Hillary Clinton winning 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, but losing the election. It was the largest margin ever for someone who won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College.

Proponents of the national popular vote measures have argued that it's not political, but Republicans, who have benefited in recent elections from the Electoral College system, disagree.

more
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/24/696827778/after-stinging-presidential-loss-popular-vote-movement-gains-momentum-in-states?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

[kacekwl]

1. I'm tired of my vote

Essentially not counting. Many others are also, hence the low turnout and voted apathy. It's a shame after doing this voting thing for so lo v we haven't figured a way to have fair and honest e!ections.

[LongtimeAZDem]

2. nevermind /nt

Last edited Sun Feb 24, 2019, 11:48 AM - Edit history (1)

[Voltaire2]

3. How's that safeguard working out?

We had a blatantly stolen election in 2000 and a fraudulent election in 2016. The electoral college is a rubber stamp. It guards nothing.

[AwakeAtLast]

8. Don't forget 2004.

They can't win without cheating!

[Voltaire2]

9. I was going with glaringly obvious.

But the poster self deleted. I guess the talking point was poorly researched.

[tinrobot]

4. It was a safeguard in theory. Not so much in practice.

The new workaround legislation actually uses the power of the EC for good. If electors follow the popular vote, then at least we don't get insanely stupid results like 2000/2016.

[Blue Owl]

5. Fuck the Selectoral College

n/t

[Captain Stern]

6. What's good about this idea?

I'm not seeing it.

Unless I'm not understanding it correctly (which is definitely a possibility), the idea goes something like:

"a state will cast it's votes for 'candidate A', if the majority of voters in the entire country voted for 'candidate A'. We will cast our state's votes for 'candidate A', even if most of the voters in our own state voted for 'candidate B'.

Why on earth would a state with a small population (or any size population) be for this?

[uponit7771]

7. K&R, Who in the right minds wants to serve when the plurality of people don't want them too in a ...

... democracy?

How in the hell is that democratic?

tia