What about awarding based on congressional district a candidate has won and award 2 to the winner of the state.
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Simple, but accurate.
I believe the original intent was that each House District have one Electoral College vote, based upon how the people in the district voted in a Presidential election.
After all each House Member represents the will of the total number of people in their district (one vote), whether a lot of people turned out to vote, or few people voted. The House Member represents the the total number of people in his or her district.
So too, should the members of the Electoral College vote according to the wishes of the district, whether a lot of people turned out to vote, or a few.
Before the 17th Amendment each state legislature decided how the two delegate to the Electoral College should vote.
I would love to see a study of how many electoral votes each candidate would have received, if the winner take all model were not used in previous Presidential elections.
If there were a federal law, or amendment that required the members of the Electoral College to vote per the outcome of the election in each Congressional District, we would see a more accurate representation of voters’ intent.
I believe Trump would have received electoral votes from California and other states, that were assigned to Hillary, because of the winner take all system. The reverse is also true, but looking at the red and blue electoral map, I think the Dems would have lost in previous elections that went their way.
I think, in practice, that this is still the case.
I'd urge people to investigate how their own states vet candidates for the Electoral College. In my state, people apply to their party to be an Elector. The party reviews all the applications and selects a slate, which is forwarded to the campaign for final approval.
I don't know if the parties pack their slate with Electors from a few urban areas or if they strive to choose electors from across all districts. I suspect it comes down to a few things: 1) the Constitutional requirement that an Elector not hold any other office, 2) contribution history to the party, 3) participation as delegates in state events, and 4) willingness to pay all costs related to being an Elector.
-PJ