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National Popular Vote bill introduces another way to choose a leader
GateHouse News Service ^ | Sun Nov 16, 2008 | Jennifer Fusco

Posted on 11/16/2008 2:45:18 PM PST by presidio9

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To: Sola Veritas

I forgot to add: A “Republican form of government”, to me, means that the electors for the state are chosen by the people only of the state, not by others outside the state. Whether it’s done by winner-take-all or apportioned by congressional district, a state’s votes in the EC should be decided by the people of that state and nobody else.


21 posted on 11/16/2008 3:25:24 PM PST by Bob
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To: presidio9; EternalVigilance

Get rid of ACORN, which disenfranchises legitimate voters and the 17th Amendment which disenfranchises States, THEN we’ll talk about disenfranchising Congress of their EC votes. Until then, I kind of like the idea of check and balance. Even though Congress is to blame for ACORN and the 17th.


22 posted on 11/16/2008 3:32:57 PM PST by The Spirit Of Allegiance (Public Employees: Honor Your Oaths! Defend the Constitution from Enemies--Foreign and Domestic!)
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To: SECURE AMERICA
Oh are we already ever on a slippery slope with Osama, Schumer, Pelosi, Reid, et ilk.

And if ACORN is able to pull it off in George, Minnesota and Alaska for 60 rat votes, we are going to see the Socialist Workers Republic of the States of America forging progress over the cliff

23 posted on 11/16/2008 3:42:22 PM PST by oldtimer
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To: trumandogz
The founding fathers were wise to develop the Electoral College and the system seems to work quite well.

And the Founders left it to the states to determine how they allocate their electoral college votes. If a state wants to give its votes to the national popular vote winner, fine.

Unless the states constitution states how the electoral votes is to be awarded, there is no constitutional problem with this. Or using a coin toss to allocate the votes.

24 posted on 11/16/2008 3:49:51 PM PST by Phantom Lord (Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
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To: presidio9

“Under a recent proposal sponsored by New York state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, the country’s popular vote would be the deciding factor of where some states’ Electoral College votes would go when it comes to choosing future U.S. presidents. “

Griffo should be run out of town. This bill would allow Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, San Franciso, Boston, Newark New Jersey, the Raleigh Durham Triangle, Baltimore, etc to select all future Presidents.

Any party opposed to the policies of the Democrats would be finished and states like Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Alabama, Mississippe, etc would not even get any attention from Presidential candidates.

Look at New Jersey. THAT is what you would have on a national level. Not all of that state is liberal Democrat, but the Dems control the political machines in all the big and moderate sized cities in that state and the suburbs and rural areas - mainly non-minority, educated and propductive, exsist only to be parasitized by the deyed inners cities and the Democrat controlled machines which run them

Griffo is either a closet Democrat or an idiot.


25 posted on 11/16/2008 3:58:28 PM PST by ZULU (Non nobis, non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam. God, guts and guns made America great.)
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To: All

The National Popular Vote bill goes into effect only if a group of States which equal a majority of the Electoral Votes (at least 270 of 538) adopt this bill. New York’s passing of this bill would not cause it to go into effect. This bill is a bad idea for New York, and would be a catastrophe for the nation, so I doubt expect this bill to pass in New York.


26 posted on 11/16/2008 4:00:17 PM PST by Repeal 16-17 (Let me know when the Shooting starts.)
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To: presidio9
To be honest, the states participating would have to tell its voters:

You are not voting to decide which candidate's electors get our state's votes. Your vote will be pooled with the rest of the country and the winner of the popular vote will get our electors."

Here's a great scenario: The popular vote is "too close to call". Lawsuits are intiated in 435 districts. Some states won't count absentee and disputed ballots unless they're needed. So now states within the compact are suing those states to force them to count them so the popular vote winner can be determined. The entire election sits in limbo for weeks. One of the compact states decides not to wait. To take advantage of "safe harbor" they must appoint their electors by 12/12. So they drop out. Now there are not enough states in the compact to determine the winner so the other states that joined are now no longer in it. Lawyers and judges pick the President. Rioting ensues.

27 posted on 11/16/2008 4:22:40 PM PST by Dilbert56 (Harry Reid, D-Nev.: "We're going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war.")
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To: Sola Veritas

I like the idea too. I have a question about that though. What would the count have been this time under that system?


28 posted on 11/16/2008 4:57:30 PM PST by DemonDeac
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To: Dilbert56
A nationwide popular vote recount would be a nightmare. Not only that, it would favor the states with looser voting requirements and that push voting more.

Having the electoral vote go to the winner of each Congressional District with the 2 extra going to the statewide winner is more feasible. Gerrymandering would play a bigger role than ever and the party that went to this approach first for their states would be at a disadvantage. Hopefully conservative leaning states are more reluctant to make any of these types of changes, but I haven't seen the list of states that have approved it so far.

29 posted on 11/16/2008 5:07:47 PM PST by DrewsDad
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To: y'all

It looks like Illinois, Hawaii, Maryland, and New Jersey have passed the National Popular Vote agreement. Of the 20 chambers that approved it, I see the Arkansas House, Colorado Senate, and the North Carolina Senate that are from possible Red(or battleground) States.


30 posted on 11/16/2008 5:16:18 PM PST by DrewsDad
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To: presidio9

ANYthing they think is a good idea in the New York legislature must prima facie be idiotic...


31 posted on 11/16/2008 5:41:03 PM PST by Redbob (W.W.J.B.D.: "What Would Jack Bauer Do?)
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To: presidio9

This cretin is a Republican? I would think that a republican would want to uphold the original intent of the constitution. Further proof there is no republican party in New York and there are no republicans.


32 posted on 11/16/2008 6:10:23 PM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: presidio9
Regarding constitutional issues, Griffo said there are none he’s aware of,

How about this? From Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 3 (my emphasis added):

No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.

33 posted on 11/16/2008 6:18:33 PM PST by RonF
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To: DemonDeac; All

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_111208/content/01125113.guest.html

Look at the Red/Blue map posted at Rush Limbaugh’s website. Obama would still have won if elector’s were assigned by congressional districts instead of “winner take all”, but it would have been a much closer race.


34 posted on 11/16/2008 6:32:09 PM PST by Sola Veritas (Trying to speak truth - not always with the best grammar or spelling)
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To: presidio9

Unless there is a law requiring a majority vote to win the presidency, a national popular vote law will lead to 100’s of candidates and parties, and a winner who could win with a low percentage of the vote. Twenty-five percent is entirely reasonable. In fact, it could eventually become a strategy to encourage a 100 candidates.


35 posted on 11/16/2008 6:46:22 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain, Pro Deo et Patria)
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To: presidio9

Art IV Sec 4 guarantees to every State a Republican form of government. IMO, this legislation violates that clause of the Constitution.


36 posted on 11/16/2008 6:53:45 PM PST by savedbygrace (SECURE THE BORDERS FIRST (I'M YELLING ON PURPOSE))
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To: presidio9

Not to disappoint

37 posted on 11/16/2008 8:26:35 PM PST by Mike Darancette (I have nothing to say - Oliver Hardy)
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To: gwilhelm56

Let me revise and extend...

The RhINOs in the New York Republican Party are (unfortunately) found mostly in our Senate and Assembly. Our county organizations are as useful as mammary glands on a male pig. The only reason for this is that we Republicans from the people’s republic of New York grew up with Nelson Rockefeller as a role model. We’d have done better with Barry Goldwater, and most assuredly with Ronaldus Magnus.

But we are out there.....


38 posted on 11/17/2008 2:30:04 PM PST by Yench500 (Our NY GOP needs a spinal transplant)
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To: presidio9
Any state that is part of this compact

Would be in instant violation of the US Constitution. Not that that matters a tinkers Damn anymore...

Clause 3. No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State,

L

39 posted on 11/17/2008 2:37:46 PM PST by Lurker ("America is at that awkward stage. " Claire Wolfe, call your office.)
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