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Middle Ground regarding EC and Popular Vote

Posted on 12/26/16 at 7:07 am
Posted by IndependentVoter
Member since Nov 2016
58 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 7:07 am
With all the recent discussion about whether we should still use the EC or switch to the Popular Vote (which I do not support, the entire country should get to decide who is president, not just the coasts), I started to think, why not just compromise and do a system in the middle.

The US could still keep the EC and even keep the same numbers, but make it more like the primaries where instead of winner take all it is proportional. This would in theory give all voters more power in terms of electing the president while still keeping the electoral process equal and not giving all the power to the coasts.

Think of it this way, currently California is winner take all and the Republicans have no chance of winning California. That is despite the fact that California is probably around 40% Republican. Instead of the Democrats getting all Electoral Votes from California like they currently do, they would only get 60 percent of the Electoral Votes in California while Republicans would get 40 percent of the Electoral Vote.

Same thing in Texas, Democrats currently have no chance of winning Texas, despite that probably a good 35 percent of Texas votes Democrat. Instead of those votes not mattering at all, Republicans would only get 65 percent of those Electoral Votes instead of getting them all and the Democrats would get 35 percent of the Electoral Votes in Texas.

This would actually help voter turnout as well since in a lot of states a lot of voters probably don't even care because they know their vote means nothing (Republicans in California and New York, Democrats in Texas). This would let those voters actually have a say while still keeping balance between the coasts and the middle of the country.
Posted by More&Les
Member since Nov 2012
14684 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 7:11 am to
Thanks for your well reasoned request.

No.
Posted by CoachChappy
Member since May 2013
32684 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 7:17 am to
So use the EC to affirm the popular vote?
Posted by idlewatcher
County Jail
Member since Jan 2012
79670 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 7:26 am to
By chance, are you willing to go on record here and state who you voted for?

I'm not sure why anyone is trying to appease the losing party. Just because they didn't win doesn't make the process unfair or tilted.
Posted by Jake88
Member since Apr 2005
68758 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 7:53 am to
quote:

I started to think, why not just compromise and do a system in the middle.


Nope. The EC works perfectly and as designed.
This post was edited on 12/26/16 at 7:54 am
Posted by Wolfhound45
Hanging with Chicken in Lurkistan
Member since Nov 2009
120000 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:01 am to
The States get to choose how they apportion votes.

The end.
Posted by Huey Lewis
BR
Member since Oct 2013
4681 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:02 am to
I've been in favor of a proportional EC for a long time. I think some things many people don't consider about the idea are:

1. All states become important for all candidates
2. Less populated/more conservative states still have the same safeguard against tyranny from the coasts since they're still allocated 2 EC votes not based on population (this is the actual safeguard, not winner-take-all)
3. The major parties would be more restrained and pulled to the center
4. Third parties could have an actual chance of growing

Incidentally, #4 is why it will never happen. The Dem/Rep oligarchy would never allow the laws to be passed.
Posted by Humanelement
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2015
1366 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:05 am to
Can we first make voter registration and voter I.D. The Norm for all states so that we can all be 100% sure that only true citizen's of the US are determining our elected officials. Hillary won Call by 4 million votes over Trump.
Posted by waiting4saturday
Covington, LA
Member since Sep 2005
9782 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:27 am to
They just need to split the EC along congressional districts.

This would be a far more accurate way to do it and would give Trump parts of CA/NY/etc... and also give Hillary parts of TX,LA,AL,MS,etc...
Posted by Rakim
Member since Nov 2015
9954 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:28 am to
Yea that ain't happening
Posted by uway
Member since Sep 2004
33109 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:43 am to
Our two options are the electoral college and civil war. End of discussion as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by Redbone
my castle
Member since Sep 2012
18932 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:46 am to
quote:

why not just compromise
You must be a dumocrat
quote:

IndependentVoter
Oh yeah. That confirms it.

57 posts! Yep! Alter for a libtard/snowflake or newb. Either way, GTFO.
Posted by udtiger
Over your left shoulder
Member since Nov 2006
99845 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:47 am to
Keep EC

Winner of state gets the 2 Senate electors

Winner of individual congressional district gets that elector.

So, for Louisiana, Trump would have gotten 7 of Louisiana's 8 EC votes.
This post was edited on 12/26/16 at 9:07 am
Posted by Gusoline
Jacksonville, NC
Member since Dec 2013
7788 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:59 am to
Ill bite.

If they were divided proportionally based off districts or counties, yes.

A split of the votes based off the overall states totals? NO. would be the exact same as using straight popular vote.

That being said, Democrats would never agree to the proportional based off counties and districts.

There are 59 Counties in California. Trump won 25/59. Hillary won the popular vote overall in the state by 4 million, because of counties like San Fran where He only got 9% of the vote.

CA being worth 55 EC votes, do you really think the left would be willing to hand over 20 of those?

Ca.gov

There is no appeasing these people. If we made the vote strictly popular and Trump won again with a 5 million lead they would complain that that wasn't fair either.

This post was edited on 12/26/16 at 9:04 am
Posted by cwill
Member since Jan 2005
54754 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 9:00 am to
Why don't we just make this not so relevant by reigning back in the power of the Executive Branch? Let California be California and Texas, Texas and then the President won't matter as much. I would say to all crying liberals, doesn't it suck that this election meant this much to you or anyone? How we pick isn't the problem.
Posted by TheFonz
Somewhere in Louisiana
Member since Jul 2016
20592 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:11 am to
The way the EC is set up now is the middle ground. We all know if it's by popular vote only, there will never be another Republican president. If we break the EC down to Congressional districts, there will never be another Democrat president. The system we have is not perfect; no system is. The fact that the forefathers could foresee these problems is a credit to their genius.
Posted by 5thTiger
Member since Nov 2014
7996 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 2:35 pm to
Give the winner of the popular vote electoral votes, say 25 or so. Solves the problem of votes not counting in winner take all states. Even if you live in deep blue/red state, vote would be equally as important for pop vote. Gets rid of ties too.



Also give, American territories one vote apiece, as they are Americans and should be able to have their vote count for President.
Posted by Zach
Gizmonic Institute
Member since May 2005
112799 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 3:49 pm to
Your idea = the popular vote. There is no difference.
Posted by bencoleman
RIP 7/19
Member since Feb 2009
37887 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 6:43 pm to
Anybody that argues against the electoral college is a moron. It's the glue that holds this country together. There's nothing to keep states or groups of states from splitting off if they feel underrepresented.
Posted by Loserman
Member since Sep 2007
22033 posts
Posted on 12/26/16 at 7:44 pm to

The United States doesn't get to make that decision. It is completely up to each individual state to do it.

Although I would love for California and New York to do it as a test case.

It would be the last time a Dem ever got elected President until they decided to change it back.
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