Senate Democrats introduce a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College

[babylonsister]

Senate Democrats introduce a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College
Republicans say such efforts will hurt rural voters.
By Li [email protected] Apr 3, 2019, 2:30pm EDT


A number of Senate Democrats are ready to follow through on an idea that some 2020 candidates — and a good chunk of Americans — support: abolishing the Electoral College.

This week, Sens. Brian Schatz, Dick Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, and Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a constitutional amendment that would abolish the Electoral College, a position that’s become increasingly popular among 2020 candidates as the election gets underway. The ratification of the amendment would mean presidential candidates would be directly elected by the national popular vote. Separately, Sen. Jeff Merkley has also introduced a package of election reforms, including a bill aimed at getting rid of the Electoral College.

It’s a push lawmakers say they’re launching in order ensure that every person’s vote is valued equally, something that’s not entirely guaranteed with the Electoral College system, under which votes in certain swing states can play a larger role in deciding the outcome than others.

“The status quo is quite undemocratic and radical,” Schatz told Vox. “This change, in my view, is an unassailably logical evolution of our Constitution.”

While the support for getting rid of the Electoral College has grown — more than 60 percent of voters in a poll conducted by Civis Analytics right after the 2016 election favored using the popular vote instead — the process to ultimately do so faces a steep fight.

In order to be adopted, a constitutional amendment requires the support of two-thirds of the House and the Senate, as well as ratification from three-fourths of states (that’s 38 states.) It could also be ratified via a constitutional convention, which would require the backing of two-thirds of state legislatures.

more...

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/3/18292513/abolish-electoral-college-senate-brian-schatz-kirsten-gillibrand-elizabeth-warren

[riverine]

1. Nice. It is a 20-30 year process.

But you have to start it sometime.