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Thursday, July 28, 2011

National Popular Vote

We all know that the current electoral system is broke in the U.S . In 2000 Al Gore won the Popular vote and he still lost the election. 2000 wasn't the only time if you continue to look back in history 1 in 14 times the winner of the national vote lost the election. In order to change the system is all that hard when a recent poll shows that 70% are willing to change the system. In order to change the system you don't need to change the constitution. As the electoral votes of a state is given according to the state laws. Meaning that if every single state pass a bill to give there electoral vote to the candidate who wins the national vote versus the candidate who wins the state vote.

Right now, presidential campaigns focus their attention mostly on the so-called swing states, where the vote could go either way, ignoring a good portion of the electorate. The consequence is that the popular vote totals in any election are not what they might have been had the candidates known they would have to maximize their nationwide vote in order to win.
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If this solutions seem far away it isn't currently 8 states have passed the NPV (National Popular Vote). which means that these states promise that in an election if a candidate wins one of these states they will not just give the electoral votes to that state winner. The state will give it's electoral votes to the winner of the popular votes. California, Colorado and Rhodes Island have already passed NPV and is sending it over to the governor. Another 10 states have passed NPV in at least one house. The NPV will not go into effect until enough states have adopted NPV that together they hold the majority of the electoral votes.

This isn't perfect, as it doesn't mean that a candidate needs over 50% which is why the NPV should include IRV, but in a political system where there are only 2 major political party this isn't a major issue at the moment, but should never the less be included in the future.

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Read more about NPV

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/22/sracic.president.election/index.html?hpt=po_bn1

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