A Plan to Elect the President by Popular Vote

[SuperWonk]

From Kos this afternoon - high up among recommended diaries:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/2/132928/7960

A Plan to Elect the President by Popular Vote
by Birch Bayh
Thu Mar 02, 2006 at 11:29:28 AM PDT

I have long believed the President and Vice President should be chosen by the same method every other elective office in this country is filled--by citizen voters of the United States in a system which counts each vote equally. That is why I am proud to be part of a new coalition known as National Popular Vote pursuing a popular vote for the president through action in the states. During my tenure in the US Senate we held several hearings on this topic but were unable to pass the amendment.

Unfortunately, Congress has continued to block this basic reform that has long-standing, overwhelming public support. Gallup polls have shown strong public support for nationwide popular election of the President for over five decades. Numerous other polls have confirmed a high level of public support for this reform. Polls consistently show 60-80% of Americans believe they should be able to cast votes in the direct election of the President: Gallup Poll.

That is why I unequivocally support this new strategy to provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President. This new approach is consistent with the Constitution and lets states push this reform without waiting for Congress to act.

<snip>

More juicy reading follows...

Thoughts??

[daveskilt]

1. 1 wyoming vote counts the same as 66 california votes

for president anyway. Because of the 2 senators per state and minimum of one congressman - wyoming gets 3 electoral votes. This means that the population per electoral vote in wyoming is 1/66 of the population per electoral vote in California.

Under a popular vote system a californian counts the same as a sheep shagger from wyoming.

Im all for it! the popular voting - not the sheep shagging. even though I am scottish.


Why do scotsmen wear kilts?


the sheep can hear a zipper a mile away.

[SuperWonk]

2. Exactly -

Well said. And in addition to that, so much focus is put only on the swing states.
Do you think candidates care to campaign in New York?? I don't think so.

We need to level the playing field!

[Broke In Jersey]

3. well...they would campaign in NY if it was a swing state.

So you are punished as a state for being too homogeneous in your political persuasion.

[garybeck]

4. does it really matter?

even if they switch to the popular vote, they will still use the voting machines to steal the election. Kerry won the popular vote and the electoral college and look what happened.

fix the e-voting problem first. then worry about the electoral college.

changing to popular vote will accomplish nothing.