While HB1703 waits in the Arkansas Senate committee, one has to ask how such a "subversive plan to ditch the electoral college" and overturn the process that has worked well for over 200 years. Phyllis Schlafly detailed in an article last year the background of the "gang of frustrated liberals" and the consequences if their proposal was taken seriously.Colorado and Tennessee have Rejected bills to abolish the electoral college. A Colorado house committee voted 10-1 to kill the bill that would enter Colorado into an interstate agreement to elect the president by popular vote. A law professor from Regis University, Jim Riley, said the bill's "effects would be potentially catastrophic for the nation." Another law professor, Robert Hardaway from the University of Denver, predicts that "without the electoral college, close votes would be a nightmare." Close presidential elections could result in "recounts in every precinct, in every state." (Rockymountainnews.com 3/9/07) In Tennessee, a similar bill did not spark enough interest to even receive a hearing.
As Schlafly rightly pointed out: The Electoral College is the successful vehicle by which a presidential candidate achieves a majority in a functioning political process. Abraham Lincoln won less than 40 percent of the popular vote and relied on his Electoral College majority for his authority. Basing the election on a plurality of the popular vote while ignoring the states would be like the New York Yankees claiming they won the 1960 World Series because they outscored the Pirates in runs 55-27 and in hits 91-60. No one challenges the fact that the Pirates fairly won that Series, 4 games to 3.
Tags: Arkansas, Colorado, Electoral College, Phyllis Schlafly, Tennessee
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