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Calendar
From the Presiden'ts Desk (Elaine Vik)
From Beth Yarberry to All of her LWV Friends (Beth Yarberry)
Winners!!!
Attention to All League Members
Finance Drive Report
Only 80 Days 'Til Christmas
Human Resources Committee (Evelyn Oishi)
Urban Problems, Publications, and Leaguers
Postscript to Electoral College Meetings
Application for Membership in the LWV of the U.S.
New Members
Let's Talk Government and League

Postscript to Electoral College Meetings

Here are the alternatives to the present Electoral College system:

  1. DIRECT ELECTION The people would elect the President, no electors, no electoral vote. Some plans call for a national primary, eliminating party conventions, and some for a national run-off if no candidate has a clear majority... some say the winner should have 40% of the total vote.

  2. DISTRICT PLAN Electors would be chosen from districts similar to Congressional districts. If no presidential candidate gets a majority, Senate and House would meet jointly to elect. Eliminates unit-rule system (winner-take-all), the independent elector (calls for a binding declaration from each candidate for elector) and voting by states in the House in case of stalemate.
  3. PROPORTIONAL PLAN. Electoral College abolished. Electoral vote would be apportioned among the Presidential candidates in each state in accordance with the number of popular votes they receive. The candidate with the most electoral votes throughout the nation would be President if he had at least 40% of the total vote. Otherwise Senate and House jointly would choose from the top two.

  4. AUTOMATIC SYSTEM Electoral College abolished. Electoral vote kept. A Presidential candidate winning the highest number of popular votes would automatically be credited with all the electoral votes from that state. If no one has a majority, Senate and House would meet jointly, each member having one vote, to choose from the top 3. It eliminates the independent voter (in the same way as plan 2) and possible vote in the House by states.

These are distilled from the many resolutions to come before Congress. There are many arguments pro and con for all these plans, which we will take up at the next meeting sometime in the spring. Remember even the slightest change takes a Constitutional amendment which must be approved by 2/3 of both houses of Congress and ratified by 3/4 of the states. Should there be a change? We don't really know what the consequences of change would be, the present balance of political power each state could be changed; voting qualifications in each state are different... direct election would undoubtedly open the door to Federal regulation; and small states would lose their present advantage. These are some of the reasons none of the resolutions has ever passed. There is also public apathy.

Recommended:

TIME essay, AMERICAN ROULETTE - THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE Time - September 20, 1968

THE DEADLOCK OF DEMOCRACY - James MacGregor Burns (329B) for those interested in the party system and possible realignment Prof. Burns says the Democrats and Republicans are really four parties.


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