Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Commentary: Yes, the democracy is busted, but Electoral College isn't the problem

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"What can I major in at Electoral College?"

Yes, the Electoral College isn't a real college. No late-night studying. No toga parties.

Trying to explain the Electoral College to a foreigner is pretty difficult. Explaining the Electoral College to an American naïve about politics is just as hard. And for many of those who do understand the Electoral College, they want to blow it up.

There is a movement to dance around the requirement. Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey have signed bills into law noting that the states will get all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote. The catch is that the bills won't go into effect until the states that approve such a bill would have 270 electoral votes -- the margin a presidential candidate needs to win.

Currently, 48 states adopt a winner-take-all approach. Maine and Nebraska award electoral votes by congressional district.

The elephant in the room is, of course, the 2000 election. Al Gore had more popular votes, but the presidency was awarded for the first time by non-elected officials, going to George W. Bush.

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