A few weeks back DavidNYC posted "The Amar Plan" - a proposal for electoral college reform.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/7/161613/2404
I would like to propose an another idea that is along similar lines but one mitigates the drawbacks of the Amar plan. I would love to have more thoughts and feedback regarding this.
I propose a system where the states that have a large number of electoral votes allocate 1 electoral vote each (from its existing number of electoral votes) to the "Popular State". The winner of the overall country-wide popular vote wins the "Popular State".
For example: California will allocate 1 out of its 55 electoral votes to the winner of the overall popular vote. If the other large states do the same thing, then the winner of the overall popular votes gets around 15-20 more electoral votes and hence it would be almost impossible to win the election without winning the popular vote.
This system addresses the perceived drawback of the Amar plan, where the voters of a large state dont feel that they are disenfrachised if they chose a candidate who did not win the popular vote, since only 1 electoral vote is allocated to the winner of the overall popular vote instead of all the electoral votes of that state.
The other benefits of this system are:
- It does not require any constitutional amendment as it does not change the existing number of electoral votes awarded to each state.
- It forces the candidates to run a national campaign.
- It will also not require the smaller states to give up any power (nor it is up to them as to how the larger states allocate its electoral votes).
- It also does not have the limitations of a system in which the winner is determined entirely by popular vote.
- It preserves the benefits of having the electoral college and eliminates the drawbacks it has.
Again, thoughts, suggestions, criticisms are most welcome.
Arun Jayendran