Topics in the News: Electoral College
Joe Biden on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 6, 2021)
An existential crisis, a test of whether democracy survives
Not even during the Civil War did insurrectionists breach our Capitol, the citadel of our democracy. But six months ago today, insurrectionists did. They launched a violent and deadly assault on the people's house, on the people's representatives, and
on the Capitol police sworn to protect them, as our duly elected Congress carried out the sacred ritual of our republic and certified the Electoral College vote. This was not dissent. It was disorder. It posed an existential crisis and a test of
whether our democracy could survive--a sad reminder that there is nothing guaranteed about our democracy.But six months later, we can say unequivocally that democracy did prevail--and that we must all continue the work to protect and preserve it.
That requires people of goodwill and courage to stand up to the hate, the lies, and the extremism that led to this vicious attack, including determining what happened so that we can remember it and not bury it hoping we forget.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: White House press release on Jan. 6th Insurrection
Stacey Abrams on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jun 9, 2020)
Electoral College protected slaveholders, not small states
The Electoral College was never meant to protect the small states against the tyranny of larger ones--not at its inception and not today. Instead, it served to protect slaveholders from a loss of power then and to advantage a small coterie
of states deemed competitive today.[In 2016], I cosponsored a bill to include the state of Georgia in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under the system, each state agrees that all its electoral votes will be allocated to the winner of
the popular vote, but the compact only takes effect after a certain number of states--comprising the majority of the electoral votes--agrees. As Georgia is one of the states long ignored by presidential contests, my Republican cosponsor and
I moved the bill successfully through the statehouse on a bipartisan vote, but the bill died in the state senate. Later that year, Donald Trump won the electoral college vote while losing the popular vote by more than three million ballots cast.
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: Our Time Is Now, by Stacey Abrams, p.184-5
Stacey Abrams on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Feb 19, 2020)
Get rid of classist, racist Electoral College
Abrams was on a television talk show when she advocated that "she wants to 'go around the Constitution' to end 'racist' Electoral College . because she thinks we '[don't] have time' to wait for a constitutional amendment." A posting from the
show, "The View," noted "@staceyabrams explains why she says the electoral college is a 'classist racist system whose time has passed and we need to get rid of it.'"
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: WorldNetDaily blog on 2020 Veepstakes
Andrew Yang on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Feb 5, 2020)
Banning Electoral College non-starter; reform system
Candidates who say we should abolish the Electoral College, one, it would require a dozen states to shoot themselves in the foot and say they don't want that kind of power anymore, which is a nonstarter.
But, two, it would end up disadvantaging rural areas, because you would just campaign in major media markets, and that's not what the framers of the Constitution intended. We have to work with the system we have and reform it.
[On delays in election tallies]:This was an avoidable error that shot the party in the foot. And it's going to be harder to convince
Americans that we can entrust massive systems with government if we can't count votes on the same night in a way that's clear, transparent, and reliable.
Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: Presidential/NYC Mayoral race
Stacey Abrams on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Nov 15, 2019)
The electoral college is racist and classist
The electoral college is racist and classist. The electoral college was designed to give Southern states the ability to count the bodies of slaves but not have to allow them to cast votes. In the North, they didn't believe that immigrants and
those not well-educated should be making decisions about who the executive of our nation should be. It was a combination of racism and classism. Both of those things should be flung to the far reaches of history and the electoral college needs to go.
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: National Press Club Remarks: 2022 Georgia Governor election
Pete Buttigieg on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 30, 2019)
We need structural reform; we can reform our democracy
When I propose actual structural democratic reforms that might make a difference--end the Electoral College, clear up Citizens United, have D.C. actually be a state, depoliticize the Supreme Court--people look at me funny.
Does anybody really think we're going to overtake Citizens United without constitutional action? This is a country that once changed its Constitution so you couldn't drink and then changed it back because we changed our minds about that.
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.
Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit)
Kamala Harris on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Discuss eliminating the Electoral College
Harris on Electoral College: It should be eliminated. 16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam;
Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson. Twelve Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while five others have said they
are open to the idea.Among those who support repealing it, the remedies vary. Some, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said they would back a constitutional amendment. Four Democrats said they are open to abolishing the system but didn't explicitly back doin
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Tim Ryan on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Eliminate the Electoral College
Ryan on Electoral College: It should be eliminated.16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam; Seth Moulton;
Beto O`Rourke; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
12 Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while 5 others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Tim Ryan on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Tulsi Gabbard on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Eliminate the Electoral College
Gabbard on Electoral College: It should be eliminated.16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam; Seth Moulton; Beto
O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
12 Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while 5 others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Wayne Messam on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Eliminate the Electoral College
Wayne Messam on Electoral College: It should be eliminated. 16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Amy Klobuchar; Jay Inslee; Seth Moulton; Beto
O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson. Twelve Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while five others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Wayne Messam on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Andrew Yang on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Electoral College should not be eliminated
Andrew Yang on Electoral College: The Electoral College should not be eliminated.TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Rep. John Delaney; Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Three Democrats do not support eliminating the Electoral College. Delaney dismissed the
idea as impractical. Both Hickenlooper and Yang have expressed reservations about the idea. Instead, Yang, on his campaign's website, calls for reforms to the Electoral College by "making electors determined on a proportional basis."
Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
John Delaney on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Electoral College should not be eliminated
John Delaney on Electoral College: The Electoral College should not be eliminated.TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Gov. John Hickenlooper; Andrew Yang.
Three Democrats do not support eliminating the Electoral College. Delaney dismissed the
idea as impractical. Both Hickenlooper and Yang have expressed reservations about the idea. Instead, Yang, on his campaign's website, calls for reforms to the Electoral College by "making electors determined on a proportional basis."
Click for John Delaney on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Kirsten Gillibrand on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Eliminate the Electoral College
Gillibrand on Electoral College: It should be eliminated.16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam; Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke;
Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
12 Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while 5 others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Beto O`Rourke on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Eliminate the Electoral College
O`Rourke on Electoral College: It should be eliminated.16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam; Seth
Moulton; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
12 Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while 5 others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Seth Moulton on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Eliminate the Electoral College
Moulton on Electoral College: It should be eliminated.16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam; Beto
O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
12 Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while 5 others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Seth Moulton on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Julian Castro on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Eliminate the Electoral College
Castro on Electoral College: It should be eliminated.16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam; Seth Moulton; Beto
O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson.
12 Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while 5 others have said they are open to the idea.
Click for Julian Castro on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Jay Inslee on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Supports National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
Jay Inslee on Electoral College: It should be eliminated. 16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam;
Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson. Twelve Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while five others have said they
are open to the idea.Among those who support repealing it, the remedies vary. Some, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said they would back a constitutional amendment. But Washington Gov. Jay Inslee encouraged states to join the National Popular Vote
Interstate Compact. Still others, like South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, called the Electoral College "undemocratic," but hasn't been clear on how he would repeal the system.
Click for Jay Inslee on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
John Hickenlooper on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Electoral College should not be eliminated
Hickenlooper on Electoral College: The Electoral College should not be eliminated.TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Rep. John Delaney; Andrew Yang.
Three Democrats do not support eliminating the Electoral College. Delaney dismissed the
idea as impractical. Both Hickenlooper and Yang have expressed reservations about the idea. Instead, Yang, on his campaign's website, calls for reforms to the Electoral College by "making electors determined on a proportional basis."
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 17, 2019)
Hard to defend the Electoral College
Sanders on Electoral College: It should be eliminated. 16 CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Michael Bennet; Cory Booker; Peter Buttigieg; Julian Castro; Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee; Amy Klobuchar; Wayne Messam;
Seth Moulton; Beto O`Rourke; Tim Ryan; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Marianne Williamson. Twelve Democratic presidential candidates have explicitly called for the abolition of the Electoral College, while five others have said they
are open to the idea.Among those who support repealing it, the remedies vary. Some, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said they would back a constitutional amendment. Four Democrats said they are open to abolishing the system but didn't explicitly back doin
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Pete Buttigieg on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 11, 2019)
Amendments among "most elegant features" of Constitution
The mayor supports a constitutional amendment to abolish the death penalty and intends to expand the Supreme Court and eradicate the Electoral College. "I don't know where we got the idea that it's impossible to do these things," he said. "This is a
country that changed the Constitution so you couldn't buy a drink and then changed its mind and changed it back. Are you really telling me that we are incapable of using one of the most elegant features of our constitutional system?"
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.
Source: NPR Morning Edition: Election 2020 Special Series
Tom Steyer on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jul 2, 2019)
Electoral College votes should reflect popular vote
Report on Steyer's stance and spending on ballot initiatives: - California Presidential Electoral College Reform Initiative (2008):
- Steyer Opposed; Steyer spent $111,475; outcome: Not on Ballot
- The California Presidential
Electoral College Reform Initiative, also known as CERI, or the Presidential Election Reform Act-- PERA--was a proposed ballot measure that would have appeared on the June 2008 California ballot.
- The measure would have changed the way that
California allocates its presidential Electoral College votes. Currently, the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in the state gets all 55 of California's electoral college votes. The winner-take-all system would be replaced with one that
awards 53 of the state's 55 electoral votes individually to whichever presidential candidate gets the most votes in each congressional district.
- The effort did not make the deadline for the June ballot, however, and was ultimately abandoned.
Click for Tom Steyer on other issues.
Source: Ballotpedia.org on California ballot measure voting records
Donald Trump on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jun 23, 2019)
Electoral College brings you to many states
The Electoral College is tougher for a Republican to win than the popular vote. At least me. I feel that I go to three places. I went to 19 or 21 states.
I went to Maine four times because I wanted to get one. And I did get it. And that's the beauty of the Electoral College. The Electoral College brings you to many of the states in this country.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: NBC News Meet the Press 2019 interview
Andrew Yang on Electoral College:
(Government Reform May 13, 2019)
Change Electoral College by proportional allocation of votes
Perhaps his most unusual proposal pertains to the Electoral College. Yang instead calls for the states to allocate delegates on a proportional basis,
like Maine already does. Yang also proposes making this proportional Electoral College system mandatory through a constitutional amendment.
Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.
Source: The New Republic magazine, articles on 2020 candidates
Andrew Yang on Electoral College:
(Government Reform May 13, 2019)
Electoral College: allocate state votes proportionally
He supports automatic voter registration, statehood for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, and ending felony disenfranchisement and partisan gerrymandering. Perhaps his most unusual proposal pertains to the Electoral College.
Yang calls for the states to allocate delegates on a proportional basis, like Maine already does. Yang also proposes making this proportional Electoral College system mandatory through a constitutional amendment.
Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.
Source: The New Republic on 2019 Democratic primary
Elizabeth Warren on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Apr 22, 2019)
Constitutional Amendment to protect the right to vote
Warren says that "we need a constitutional amendment that protects the right to vote for every American citizen and to make sure that vote gets counted," is not the only presidential contender going big on democracy issues. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is
backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Senator Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the Electoral College's anti-democratic impact, as have
former representative Beto O'Rourke and former housing secretary Julan Castro. Possible presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, says: "The Electoral College needs to go, because it's made our society less and less
democratic." Buttigieg sees that move as part of a democracy agenda that includes action on Citizens United. Sanders has already proposed amendments to overturn Citizens United, which he decries as "one of the most disastrous decisions in history."
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: The Nation, "Electoral College," on 2020 Democratic primary
Pete Buttigieg on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Apr 22, 2019)
Abolish Electoral College; it makes society less democratic
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Senator Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the Electoral College's
anti-democratic impact, as have former representative Beto O'Rourke and former housing secretary Julian Castro. Possible presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, says: "The Electoral College needs to go, because
it's made our society less and less democratic." Buttigieg sees that move as part of a democracy agenda that includes ending gerrymandering, extending voting rights, and, probably, amending the Constitution to reverse the damage done by the
Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision. (Sanders has already proposed amendments to overturn Citizens United, which he decries as "one of the most disastrous decisions in [the Court's] history.")
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.
Source: The Nation, "Electoral College," on 2020 Democratic primary
Bernie Sanders on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Apr 22, 2019)
Citizens United is most disastrous decisions in history
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Senator Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the Electoral College's
anti-democratic impact, as have former representative Beto O'Rourke and former housing secretary Julian Castro. Possible presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, says: "The Electoral College needs to go, because
it's made our society less and less democratic." Buttigieg sees that move as part of a democracy agenda that includes ending gerrymandering, extending voting rights, and, probably, amending the Constitution to reverse the damage done by the
Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision. (Sanders has already proposed amendments to overturn Citizens United, which he decries as "one of the most disastrous decisions in [the Court's] history.")
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: The Nation, "Electoral College," on 2020 Democratic primary
Mike Gravel on Electoral College:
(War & Peace Apr 10, 2019)
Cut military budget by 50%, close all military bases abroad
The Gravel campaign has put out a 29-page platform. It includes cutting the military budget by 50%, closing Guantanamo Bay, ending the use of drones, vowing not to invade any sovereign nation in the absence of a first strike, closing all military bases
abroad, and abolishing the Senate and the electoral college. "My message, centered around an anti-imperialist foreign policy and fundamental political reform, is one that no other Democratic candidate is making the centerpiece of their campaign."
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.
Source: Current Affairs magazine, 2019 article series
Mike Gravel on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Apr 9, 2019)
Replace Electoral College with direct election of President
The Electoral College has been responsible for two Presidents within the last three winning an election without winning a majority of the votes. This system of selecting presidents was a tool originally created to suppress democracy; historically, it
has empowered slavers and segregationists. The injustice it has perpetuated continue today. The democratic option is direct election of the president. The US should abolish the Electoral College, moving to a system of direct election of the president.
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com
Elizabeth Warren on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Apr 8, 2019)
Every vote matters: so abolish the Electoral College
The 2016 presidential election offered a reminder of just how much work remains to be done to ensure that the will of the people is reflected in our election results. At a March town-hall meeting in Mississippi, Senator Elizabeth Warren declared, "Every
vote matters, and the way we can make that happen is [to] have national voting, and that means [getting] rid of the Electoral College." The crowd responded with what The New York Times described as "one of her longest ovations of the night."
Warren, who also says that "we need a constitutional amendment that protects the right to vote for every American citizen and to make sure that vote gets counted," is not the only presidential contender going big on democracy issues. Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand is backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, & Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the Electoral College's anti-democratic impact.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: The Nation magazine on 2020 Democratic primary
Kirsten Gillibrand on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Apr 8, 2019)
Abolish the Electoral College
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Senator Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the
Electoral College's anti-democratic impact, as have former representative Beto O'Rourke, former housing secretary Julian Castro, and mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg.
Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.
Source: The Nation magazine on 2018 New York Senate race
Elizabeth Warren on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Mar 18, 2019)
Fight voter suppression; abolish Electoral College
We need a constitutional amendment that protects the right to vote for every American citizen and to make sure that vote gets counted. We need to put some federal muscle behind that. We need to repeal every one of the voter suppression laws that is out
there right now. My view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting. And that means get rid of the Electoral College and everybody counts. Everybody ought to have to come and ask for your vote.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: CNN Town Hall on 2020 Democratic presidential primary
Pete Buttigieg on Electoral College:
(Civil Rights Feb 20, 2019)
Calls for redistricting reform; questions Electoral College
Buttigieg endorsed redistricting reforms and other changes that would allow for greater representation of the public interest. "Bold changes and reforms are needed," Buttigieg said, including "things that might require constitutional action. Things like
questioning whether it really makes sense to have an electoral college, which twice in my lifetime has overruled the American people. And whether it makes sense to continue with places like D.C. and Puerto Rico denied full political representation."
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.
Source: Common Dreams e-zine on 2020 Democratic primary
Pete Buttigieg on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Feb 9, 2019)
Get rid of the Electoral College
Buttigieg said, "We can't nibble around the edges of a system that no longer works." [One reporter] asked, "What is your idea that is so big that nobody would mistake it for nibbling around the edges?" Buttigieg answered, " Well, first of all, we've
got to repair our democracy. The Electoral College needs to go, because it's made our society less and less democratic." He went on in this vein, suggesting that electoral reform was essential.
Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues.
Source: The New Yorker on 2020 Democratic primary
Hillary Clinton on Electoral College:
(Principles & Values Sep 12, 2017)
What would GOP do if Russia hacked an electoral vote loss?
Over the next few weeks [after the 2016 election], I dropped any pretense of good cheer. I was so upset and worried for the country. I knew the proper and respectable thing to do was to keep quiet and take it all with grace, but inside I was fuming.
The commentator Peter Daou, who worked on my 2008 campaign, captured my feelings when he tweeted, "If Trump had won by 3 million votes, lost electoral college by 80K, and Russia had hacked RNC, Republicans would have shut down America." Nonetheless,
I didn't go public with my feelings. I let them out in private. When I heard that Donald Trump settled a fraud suit against his Trump University for $25 million,
I yelled at the television. When I read the news that he filled his team with Wall Street bankers after relentlessly accusing me of being their stooge, I nearly threw the remote control.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: What Happened, by Hillary Clinton, p. 23
Hillary Clinton on Electoral College:
(Principles & Values Sep 12, 2017)
What would GOP do if Russia hacked an electoral vote loss?
The commentator Peter Daou, who worked on my 2008 campaign, captured my feelings when he tweeted, "If Trump had won by 3 million votes, lost electoral college by 80K, and
Russia had hacked RNC, Republicans would have shut down America." When I heard that Donald Trump settled a fraud suit against his Trump University for $25 million, I yelled at the television.
When I read the news that he filled his team with Wall Street bankers after relentlessly accusing me of being their stooge, I nearly threw my remote at the wall.
And when I heard he installed Steve Bannon, a leading promoter of the "Alt-Right", which many have described as including white nationalists, as his chief strategist in the White House, it felt like a new low in a long line of lows.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: What Happened, by Hillary Clinton, p. 23
Jesse Ventura on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Mar 8, 2010)
Get rid of the antiquated Electoral College
Gore won the 2000 national popular vote from the get-go. How can you get a half million more votes that the other guy & lose? The presidential is the only election where we allow that to happen. We should have gotten rid of the Electoral College long ago
It was fine back in the days when everybody was still on horseback. It's time to leave an antiquated system behind. Who's profiting from keeping it going? As a third-party guy, I was hoping 2004 would bring the opposite result: Bush would win the popular
vote and Kerry would take the Electoral College. Maybe that would have brought them to the table to abolish the whole thing.But 2004, it turned out, was even more blatant election theft than in 2000. The exit polls were predicting a huge victory for
Kerry. But somehow Bush had taken a decisive lead and Kerry conceded on the day after. There is no evidence of vote theft or errors on a large scale, the NY Times "informed" us. The Washington Post called any talk of vote fraud "conspiracy theories."
Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.
Source: American Conspiracies, by Jesse Ventura, p.132
Jesse Ventura on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Apr 1, 2008)
Get rid of elitist, bankrupt Electoral College
Our federal electoral system is bankrupt. I see Florida as having been stolen by the Bush people in the 2000 election. My biggest beef about the 2000 election, though, was this: Half a million more Americans voted for Al Gore to be President. In any
other election in America, if you get the most votes, you win. How can we continue to justify a concept that you can win the presidential popular vote and LOSE? This shows that the Electoral College is a controlled, elitist system. It was set up when
the elected officials were still riding on horseback to Washington. Why still hang onto something that's completely irrelevant?What I wanted to see happen in 2004 was the exact opposite result of 2000. I wanted Bush to win the popular election and
John Kerry to have the most votes in the Electoral College. Then maybe these two groups of elitists would get together and say, it's time to get rid of the Electoral College. If I ever became president, that would be one of my top priorities.
Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.278-279
Mike Gravel on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Dec 25, 2006)
Repeal the Electoral College; enact federal term limits
The Gravel Agenda: When elected President by the American people, I will:- Repeal the Electoral College;
- Enact term limits at the federal level;
- Make the The National Initiative part of mainstream political discourse.
-
Ask the American people to enact The National Initiative for Democracy so that you can decide on our agenda and all of the issues that affect your lives.
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.
Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, gravel2008.us, “Issues”
Howie Hawkins on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jun 30, 2006)
Abolish the Electoral College; support IRV
Abolish the Electoral College-Direct election of the President by majority vote through Instant Run-Off Voting. Proportional Representation in Congress-Representation for each party in proportion to the vote it receives.
Click for Howie Hawkins on other issues.
Source: 2006 Senate campaign website, hawkinsforsenate.org, “Issues”
Jesse Ventura on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Mar 14, 2001)
We need to upgrade our voting process
I kind of don't like the Electoral College to begin with irrelevant of what happened in this [2000] election. I find it strange that someone can get the most votes and lose. We need to upgrade our voting process because the first thing
you'll find in state government when they want to cut something is they'll cut money out of voting. They learned a valuable lesson that maybe they ought to invest in voting a little bit more to keep the integrity of it to the level it should be.
Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.
Source: CNN coverage: interview on Larry Kind Live show
Mike Gravel on Electoral College:
(Government Reform Jan 1, 1972)
Replace electoral college with direct election
Citizen participation could be enhanced by abolishing the electoral college system in favor of direct popular election. The argument of those who are opposed only reveals the extent to which equilibrium has become the fundamental value in our system.
They prophesy catastrophe for the two-party system which. They see the end of the electoral college as heralding the demise of moderate governments achieved by the politics of coalition.The much-touted interest in preserving consensus politics cannot
be squared with the people’s interest in free and public debate of genuinely alternative government actions. The people need representatives who will speak up for them in an adversary fashion against executive government, instead of politicians who
subscribe to the philosophy of not rocking the boat in order to preserve their own power. Going along to get along hardly serves the public need for constructive political dialogue.
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Source: Citizen Power, by Sen. Mike Gravel, p. 40-41
Page last updated: Mar 01, 2022
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