Supreme court takes up presidential electoral college. Now, as political passions reach a boiling point at the dawn of the 2020 race, the message from the american people is clear. Since 1836, statewide winnertakeall popular voting for electors has been the almost. However, the delegates in almost all cases vote the winner of the popular vote within the various states, making the vote a winner take all situation. I have never heard any defense of it, let alone a good one. Americas founders wisely considered many different aspects of democratic election including the preservation of. Americas founders wisely considered many different aspects of democratic election including the preservation of minority rights i.
That process is constitutional, the fifth circuit court of appeals said in its decision. Jun 06, 2016 but the present electoral college, with its pledged delegates and winner take all nonsense, is simply indefensible. Jan 06, 2020 currently, all states select electors through a popular vote although how that vote works can differ, but that was not always the case throughout american history. Let the people pick the president addresses electoral college. The electoral college is a body of electors established by the united states constitution, which forms every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the united states. United states presidential elections in ohio wikipedia. Circuit court of appeals in new orleans unanimously upheld a lower courts dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the texas system.
Popular vote better than electoral college, stanford scholars say. With all the talk of doing away with the electoral college, it seems appropriate that americans actually understand what it is, how and why it was implanted by the framers, how it was changed by modern politicians, why it is an absolute necessity, and the amendment that would put it back the way it was and make it even better. No, the electoral college isnt rigged to favor rural trumpism. Mar 24, 2019 the electoral college, a slaveryera artifact that allows candidates to lose the popular vote yet still become president, is undemocratic and discourages participation in the political process. Previous criticism of our peculiar way of electing a president through 50 separate contests has focused on the winner take all policy in 48 of our 50 states. Wednesdays ruling is the latest defeat for organizations that say each states electors should be chosen proportionally, based on the percentage of the statewide vote. The equal protection argument against winner take all in. Mar 18, 2020 the winner take all rule that all these states use today and that i think most americans assume is just the way the electoral college works is purely statedesigned. An idea for electoral college reform that both parties might. Mar 10, 2016 as donald trump comes perilously close to collecting the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the republican nomination, all eyes are on florida and ohio, two big winnertakeall states that will. Apr 08, 2016 according to mcadam, four out of five americans exercised no real electoral voice in the 2012 presidential election due to the winner take all electoral college system, which made campaigns focus. Opinion fix the electoral college or scrap it the new york times. Major alternatives, other than direct popular vote, are analyzed. Time will tell whether that reform and others come to pass.
In his new book, let the people pick the president, wegman makes a case for abolishing the electoral college. What is the winnertakesall rule in the presidential. Following is a table of united states presidential elections in ohio, ordered by year. The way we vote for the only official whose job it is to represent all americans is neither. Foley is a professor of law at the ohio state university. And the core principle of that decision that it is up to the states to choose the method was reaffirmed by the court in its decision in bush v.
Hill chronicles all the various ways that this winner take all approach undermines democracy in the u. Only 3 states used winner take all in our nations first presidential election in 1789, and all of them repealed it by 1800. The current winnertakeall method, in which the winner of the statewide popular vote. An idea for electoral college reform that both parties. In his recent oped for fox news, author trent england attacks sen elizabeth warrens proposal to eliminate the electoral college by defending the winner take all. It takes us back to the original intent of the founders that it is not a winner take all vote but a republican mandate made by the voters and their electoral representatives. The winnertake all electoral college system used by 48 states, including colorado, sees court challenges share this. The term electoral system can refer to two distinct, yet related, concepts. Why we should abolish the electoral college the new york. The winnertakeall electoral college system used by 48. The electoral college is not working the washington post. They took their first step in february 2018 by filing.
The electoral college was established in 1788 by article ii of the us constitution, which also established the executive branch of the us government, and was revised by the twelfth amendment ratified june 15, 1804, the fourteenth amendment ratified july 1868, and the twentythird amendment ratified mar. The case against the electoral college is stronger than. Government students friday at ohio northern university about his book, faithless elector. An idea for electoral college reform that both parties might actually like. This needs to be given very serious consideration for if we are to keep it, as benjamin franklin states, we must defend our system. List of united states presidential elections by electoral. The electoral college was invented by the slave owners who wrote the constitution as a firewall against the peoples will. Let the people pick the president jesse wegman macmillan. The winner take all rule that all these states use today and that i think most americans assume is just the way the electoral college works is purely statedesigned. Additional information is available in the book every vote equal. People pick the president, says the electoral colleges winnertakeall rule is. Dec 12, 2016 in summary, a winner take all system of allocating electors by the states denies the minority of voters within each state any representation whatsoever within the electoral college and ultimately.
Because of the winner takes all nature of picking electoral delegates in most states, the electoral college creates a paradox where both the minority in a state and the majority across the nation. According to mcadam, four out of five americans exercised no real electoral voice in the 2012 presidential election due to the winner take all electoral college system, which made campaigns focus. The importance of the electoral college by george grant. The pros and cons of the electoral college smartasset. The reckless gamble in our electoral system by james a. The united states electoral college system of electing a president is an eccentric one. Ohio voters may decide major change for presidential election. Author, all the presidents spin new york times bestselling book. And, with statewide winner take all rules, only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president. The debate over the continued use of the electoral college resurfaced during the 2016 presidential election, when donald trump lost the general election to hillary clinton by over 2. Generally speaking, elections can take one of two basic forms. Opinion end winnertakeall in the electoral college the.
How to make the electoral college work for everyone. The electoral college is a body of electors established by the united states constitution, which. In 2012, under the current statebystate winner take all system not mentioned in the u. The case for abolishing the electoral college jesse wegman, author of let the people pick the president, says the electoral college s winner take all rule is. Swing states, the winnertakeall electoral college, and fiscal.
Since its admission to statehood in 1803, ohio has participated in every u. May 18, 2018 while that wouldnt eliminate the electoral college, it would change the winnertakeall nature of our system and the way candidates think about state campaigns. The book then evaluates the current operation of the winner take all electoral college and explains whycontrary to the mantra of many of its defendersit is essentially different from the electoral college conceived by the american founders. Aug 02, 2019 the case against the electoral college is stronger than ever. Unconstitutional and unfair to voters in 48 states they are unfair to republicans and democrats alike, and dont need a constitutional amendment to fix. At the federal level, this problem could be greatly alleviated by abolishing the electoral college system. What really disregards the will of the people is the winnertakeall. Author speaks about electoral college book at onu the lima news. Its a winnertakeall system used by 48 states that critics hope to have ultimately ruled unconstitutional. Dec 02, 2016 what i do resent is that the electoral college, except for maine and nebraska, is a statebystate winner take all, rather than being divided up proportionally. Each state is entitled to as many electors as it has us senators two and us. The author assumes his reader has some knowledge of the basic function of this institution before reading the book so it may be helpful to overview the system before diving in.
Its the winner take all mathematics from state to state that delivers so much power to a relative handful of voters. Shaun bowler, todd donovan, and david brockington, electoral reform and minority representation. Popular vote better than electoral college, stanford. Many who dislike the winnertakeall electoral college argue that its bias toward small states is unfair. But the present electoral college, with its pledged delegates and winner take all nonsense, is simply indefensible. An electoral college map from the 1976 carterford campaign that was used by the 1980 reagan campaign to strategize, at the ronald reagan presidential library in simi valley, california, dec. This is why the winner take all rule is so destructive to our nations politics and culture. Liz dufourthe enquirer why ignore the electoral college. It ensured that the enslavers oligarch, which was a distinct minority in the south, would control the new nation. This year, trump would have lost 16, giving him 290.
As the 2020 race heats up, the supreme court agreed on friday to hear a dispute involving the complex u. Although the winner of the popular vote tends to win the electoral college, five times the president was elected despite losing the popular vote 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016. Which states have winnertakeall primaries or caucuses. Mar, 2020 the winnertakeall rule means that the states that matter to the campaigns are the handful of socalled battleground states this year, they include wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania, arizona. But more than 43 percent of voters in the four states polled. Its as if in politics, as in economics, we have a privileged 1 percent. Trump won an electoral vote in maine, which he would not have won if maine used winner take all. Jan 29, 20 the 1892 ruling, in fact, upheld a decision by the michigan legislature to switch from a winnertakeall to a districtbydistrict system.
Agreement among the states to elect the president by national. Nov 14, 2012 however, the delegates in almost all cases vote the winner of the popular vote within the various states, making the vote a winner take all situation. In a single winner election, one candidate alone can be elected to the office in question. It was not debated by the constitutional convention. In his new book, let the people pick the president, wegman makes a. A quick read presenting a compelling case for the constitutional electoral college. The case against the electoral college is stronger than ever. Us courts texas ruling a blow to electoral college. If you have questions beyond the electoral college, smartasset can help.
Electoral college should be revised opinion the columbus. And within the quirks of this nominating mechanism, there are two states that have added their own spin to. The electoral college national conference of state. Winner takes all novel, a bbc books doctor who novel winner take all short story, a sailor steve costigan story by robert e. So, for example, what do you know people in ohio want, or what do. Oct 08, 2004 finally, will argues that the electoral college strengthens or legitimizes the winner. May 07, 2020 in fact, they almost did in 2004, when george w. In the course of writing a book on the history of the electoral college and the case for a. Jan 12, 2019 an idea for electoral college reform that both parties might actually like the way we now elect presidents would horrify the authors of the u.
Currently, all states select electors through a popular vote although how that vote works can differ, but that was not always the case throughout american history. Court oks texas winnertakeall presidential elector system. He notes that the winner takes all model means that millions of voters become. And a lurking mystery is whether electors really have to do. Aug 22, 2019 the 10th circuit ruled that faithless electors have the constitutional right to vote their conscience, throwing into question states winner take all electoral systems that bind electors to. Closepublic opinion, political parties, and voting. In many states, the state legislature selected electors, a practice which was common until the mid1800s. Swing states, the winnertakeall electoral college, and. Electoral college change from winnertakeall system gains.