History illustrates the success of the Electoral College.
Through over fifty presidential elections—each a unique story of people struggling for political power—the Electoral College system has provided both moderating and unifying influences on candidates and political parties. It has isolated voting controversies (1876), sent regional candidates from back to the drawing board (1888), and repeatedly focused candidates and political parties on an ever-changing group of the most moderate and politically balanced states.
According to National Popular Vote, it don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing. Voters outside of “swing states,” NPV’s materials claim, are “spectators to the presidential election” and are “effectively disenfranchised.” A closer look reveals that NPV’s claims come from a superficial understanding of political campaigns that does not survive under...
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Who won the election of 1876? The race was so close that South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana each provided two dueling slates of electoral votes. A special congressional commission sorted things out in favor of Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes, though New York Governor and Democratic nominee Samuel Tilden probably received more popular votes....
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I recently had the opportunity to speak with Charlottesville, VA’s Rob Schilling on The Schilling Show. We covered topics like the difference between “democracy” and a “democratic republic”, why the Electoral College is a key component in preserving American liberty, and how NPV threatens to undo its benefits. You can listen here.
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As Colorado prepares to debate the Koza scheme, I wrote the following editorial. It appeared in the April 20th edition of the Denver Daily News and is available on the Independence Institute Web site. If National Popular Vote wins, we lose By Amy Oliver This week the Colorado Senate will debate the relevance of...
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A common public view of the Electoral College seems to be, “I don’t understand it so it must be wrong.” Witness the following from a letter to Seattle’s only remaining news daily. … it is time to come into the 21st century. There is no place in today’s society for 200-year-old practices. Here is...
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