August 5, 2007
Electoral college daze
via memeorandum
In A Red Play for the Golden State, Jonathan Alter writes:
Our way of electing presidents has always been fer-tile ground for mischief. But there's sensible mischief—toying with existing laws and the Constitution to reflect popular will—and then there's the other kind, which tries to rig admission to the Electoral College for strictly partisan purposes. Mischief-makers in California (Republicans) and North Carolina (Democrats) are at work on changes that would subvert the system for momentary advantage and—in ways the political world is only beginning to understand—dramatically increase the odds that a Republican will be elected president in 2008.
Note that what bothers Alter isn't that these plans "would subvert the system" but the conclusion that "dramatically increase the odds that a Republican will be elected president in 2008." In other words, I doubt he'd be expressing the same outrage if these changes were likely to help elect a Democrat. (The title of the webpage:
Is California GOP Trying to Steal the 2008 Election?makes Alter's intent clear.)
I don't think either scheme has much merit. As I wrote before our current electoral scheme, whatever weaknesses it has, has been remarkably robust. Trading it for the uncertain results of a new scheme invites mischief. But pretending that schemes for changing the electoral college are a way that Republicans are atttempting to "steal" the election is dishonest. Both sides are doing it. And, from the way I see it, the Democrats are much more active in changing the rules of the game to their advantage.
I don't agree with this initiative wherever its being proposed, but to blame it on the GOP is dishonest. Similar initiatives to change how the President is elected have generally been launched by Democrats in order to prevent another Florida 2000 from occurring. (In Maryland there is an effort afoot to award Maryland's electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote. Pillage Idiot, Crablaw and I have commented on Maryland's propose scheme.)
While the scheme in Maryland is different from those proposed by California and North Carolina, the fact that changing the electoral process is likely to produce unexpected results - Crablaw's argument - is reinforced by the Hedgehog Report's analysis of North Carolina's (Democratic) scheme.
electoral college, 
2008 election.
