HB1703, proposed by State Rep. Monty Davenport (D-Yellville) that would make Arkansas part of a movement to adopt a presidential-election system based on the popular nationwide vote passed the House by a vote of 52-41 and was sent to the Senate yesterday and is before the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. The House had previously rejected Davenport's bill on Monday on a 45-51 vote after members questioned the impact it would have on Arkansas' role in national politics. Davenport wants to direct Arkansas members of the Electoral College to vote for whichever presidential candidate won a majority of votes nationwide, regardless of how that candidate fared in Arkansas. The proposed bill is part of an agenda advanced by a group trying to do away with the traditional role of the Electoral College. If this bill becomes law, Arkansas' votes and influence in Presidential elections would have no real effect on the selection of a President. A group of States with large populations would control the Presidential elections. Our countries forefathers created several protections in the constitution to protect the smaller populated states: each state would have 2 senators and the president would be chosen by the Electoral College process verses by a general popular vote.
If other states go along with the plan, it could have changed the way the nation elects presidents. Legislatures in North Dakota and Montana have rejected the plan. The Colorado Senate approved the measure last month. The California Legislature endorsed the agreement last year, but the governor vetoed it. The Electoral College has performed its function for over 200 years ... by ensuring that the President of the U.S. has both sufficient popular support to govern and that his popular support is sufficiently distributed throughout the country to enable him to govern effectively. ... Proposals to abolish the Electoral College, though frequently put forward, have failed largely because the alternatives to it appear more problematic than is the College itself. The fact that the Electoral College was originally designed to solve one set of problems but today serves to solve an entirely different set of problems is a tribute to the genius of the Founding Fathers." William C. Kimberling, Deputy Director, FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration.
Call to Action: Arkansas' electoral votes may be small but they are so important that presidential candidates and their campaigns must consider Arkansas voters. If this bill becomes law, presidential candidates will be able to ignore Arkansas entirely. It will not matter to them which way Arkansas votes as long as they win the larger populated areas in the U.S.. Why surrender our "minority" voice that was so wisely protected for us by our forefathers? Please contact your State Senator and ask them to protect the voice of Arkansas by voting NO on HB1703.
See Also: U.S. Electoral College
The Pro's and Con's of the Electoral College System
Tags: Arkansas, elections, Electoral College, House
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