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June 24, 2008
Winning is a state of Maine?
Would that all states apportioned their electoral votes, instead of using a winner-take-all system; but electoral college reform is, practically speaking, far removed from the pressing problems that affect our daily lives. So it remains that only two states (Maine and Nebraska) award electoral votes based on popular vote totals in each congressional district (and respect the statewide winner with the two electors that represent the states' U.S. Senate seats).
In yet another election year where it looks like the decision could come down to a few states -- or even a single state -- Maine and (to a certain extent) Nebraska deserve our consideration. I was thinking about this the other day, but I didn't realize that there were other election geeks (or are we nerds?) out there pondering the same matter, until Kleinheider pointed me to a Maine Today/Morning Sentinel column that ponders the possibilities.
Author David B. Offer doesn't believe that it's very likely that either state would split its electoral votes this year (neither ever has), but just the potential means that, depending on how the map shapes up, folks in northern Maine could see a lot more of John McCain than they would have imagined, while a certain city in eastern Nebraska would once again be temporarily nicknamed "Obamaha" as the senator from Illinois would try to pick off that district's elector.
A key point somewhat offsetting this theoretical discussion is the very real fact that every single vote matters. All of the talk -- about whether Barr is the new Nader, or Nader is still the Nader and then we have Barr as well, and don't forget Baldwin and Paul; about 50-state strategies and four-state gambits and split electoral outcomes; about Americans of different ethnicities and how excited or not they'll be to cast their votes this year -- can distract us.
Don't let it.
Presidential Elections | By joe lance | 6:47 PM
Comments
Keep the Electorial College. Democracy is the worst form of government. Read the founding fathers, they dicussed this and settled for the the electorial college, not DEMOCRACY! (They were smarter than you and I put together)
Posted by: Mickey at June 26, 2008 8:36 AM
To be clear, I was not advocating for getting rid of the electoral college. I am, however, wondering if some proportional allocation of the electors might be better than the winner-take-all approach. In other words, yes, keep the electoral college; but use it like Maine and Nebraska do.
Posted by: joe lance at June 26, 2008 9:13 AM