Texas’ Winner-Take-All Elections Mean Unfair Results
Jason Harrow @ Houston Chronicle May 29, 2018
President Trump said something recently in an interview that most Americans should be able to agree on: We should change the way we elect the president. He told Fox & Friends that he would “rather have a popular election” for president than use the current system, which, in most cases, awards all of a state’s electoral votes to whomever wins the popular vote of the state, even if only by a small margin. As the president rightly recognized, if we eliminated swing states and safe states and just counted every vote equally, then we’d have a “totally different campaign” than we do now.
That last point is crucial to understand. As the president’s comments highlight, those who campaign to lead our nation every four years do not actually run national campaigns. Instead, presidential candidates focus on energizing voters in only a few swing states, because votes in those states actually impact the election — but votes in safe red or blue states don’t. That’s why 99 percent of campaign spending in the last election was in only 14 states. If you live in the other 36, you can watch the campaign on the news and follow along online, but don’t expect the campaigns to speak to your interests or try to persuade you or get you to the polls. To them, your actual vote hardly matters at all.
Jason Harrow @ USA Today: Donald Trump is no electoral phenom. He’s more like Michael Dukakis than Ronald Reagan.
Donald Trump is no electoral phenom. He's more like Michael Dukakis than Ronald Reagan. Jason Harrow @ USA Today November 6, 2018 Civil rights activists are challenging the legality of four states’ winner-take-all method of allocating U.S. presidential electoral...
Lessig @ The Hill: Electoral College confusions
Electoral College Confusions Lessig @ The Hill October 31, 2018 Civil rights activists are challenging the legality of four states’ winner-take-all method of allocating U.S. presidential electoral college votes, claiming the practice magnifies some votes at the...
Jason Harrow @ Independent Voter Network: Courts to Hear Legal Challenge to Electoral College
Courts to Hear Legal Challenge to Electoral College Jason Harrow @ Independent Voter Network September 18, 2018 What can be done to improve the way we elect our president? The current system, where nearly every state gives all of its electoral votes to whatever...
Jason Harrow @ The Hill: Here’s a Good Enough Solution to the Way We Elect US Presidents
Here’s a Good Enough Solution to the Way We Elect US Presidents Jason Harrow @ The Hill August 22, 2018 Here is a common conundrum. You’ve been searching for flights to Florida for that dream family vacation. You want to go in about three months, and you find what you...
Adam Eichen @ Medium: The Electoral College Reform Movement Made Great Strides This Month, But Is It Enough?
The Electoral College Reform Movement Made Great Strides This Month, But Is It Enough? Adam Eichen @ Medium May 29, 2018 Last week, with little fanfare, Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy signed a bill that officially adds his state to the National Popular Vote...
Jason Harrow @ USA Today: The winner-take-all presidential system is unconstitutional. We’re taking it to court.
The winner-take-all presidential system is unconstitutional. We're taking it to court. Jason Harrow @ USA Today Mar 8, 2018 There's no legal justification for states’ use of winner-take-all. It’s an unconstitutional way to pick the electors who cast votes for...
Lawrence Lessig @ IVN.US: The Challenge To “Winner-Take-All” Launched
The Challenge To “Winner-Take-All” Launched Lawrence Lessig @ IVN.US Feb 23, 2018 Beginning today, in four states across the country, lawsuits will be filed to challenge the way presidential electors are selected in America. The plaintiffs in these suits charge that...
Lawrence Lessig @ Medium: The challenge to “winner-take-all” launched
The Challenge to "Winner-take-all" Launched Lawrence Lessig @ Medium Feb 21, 2018 Beginning today, in four states across the country, lawsuits will be filed to challenge the way presidential electors are selected in America. The plaintiffs in these suits charge that...
Equal Citizens @ Medium: Important Update on the Equal Votes project
Important Update on the Equal Votes project Equal Citizens @ Medium Feb 5, 2018 Stay tuned, because we’re about to make a big announcement about our case(s). But meanwhile, we wanted to address an important concern that many have written about. We believe — as anyone...
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