[EM] NPV vs Condorcet

[Terry Bouricius]

Two small corrections on the U.S. electoral college amendment issue:

1. The Senate does not need to be involved in amending the constitution. 
2/3 of the state legislatures can initiate an amendment that then needs 
ratification by 3/4 of the states.

2. Small states may indeed be convinced to abolish the electoral college. 
My own state, the tiny Vermont, passed the National Popular Vote compact 
(but it was vetoed by the governor), and arguably, Vermont "benefits" from 
the current dsiproportionality built into the electoral college more than 
any other state. But because of the battle-ground-state-focus of 
presidential elections, Vermont has no felt impact on the presidential 
selection process at all. The candidates only appeal to swing voters in 
swing states.

Terry Bouricius

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Kislanko" <kislanko at airmail.net>
To: "'Dave Ketchum'" <davek at clarityconnect.com>; "'Kristofer 
Munsterhjelm'" <km-elmet at broadpark.no>
Cc: <election-methods at lists.electorama.com>
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 11:15 PM
Subject: Re: [EM] NPV vs Condorcet


Re:
Is the Electoral College recognized as having lived ot its useful life? 
If
so, perhaps we could do up a worthwhile constitutional amendment.

For the same reason we have an Electoral College there's no way to get a
Constitutional Amendmendt on the ballot - such a suggestion would have to
pass the Senate, wherein even the smallest state has two representatives 
who
would be against the idea.

For the same reason the EC is bad, it can't ever be changed - it gives an
inordinate amount of authority to the "small" states, and those states, 
now
that they have it, are not likely to give it up.

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