| Related sites for http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0616/p01s02-uspo.html |
| Open_Doors UK office of an international Christian persecution charity providing Bibles, training, community development projects and support for persecuted Christians, and highlighting human rights issues and a | | Bansang_Hospital_Appeal_Charity Delivers medical and financial aid to needy people in a third world hospital in Gambia, West Africa. | | AffirmingLife_org To inform, educate, counsel and assist people concerned about threats to life through legal, medical, scientific, social, political and economic policies and practices. | | International_Center_for_Greek_Philosophy_and_Culture The ICGPC is a non-profit academic, research and cultural Institution which was formed in 1987 and established by law in 1990. Its aim is to promote international research into Greek philosophy, and t | | 32_Essential_Virtues A list of 32 basic virtues, with relevant quotes from religious, philosophic, and literary sources. | | Comingoutstories_com A site for gay men and lesbians to tell their coming out stories, coming out resources and forums. | | NorTon_John Profile of "Big John," a biker from upstate New York. | | Religious_Tolerance__The_Pentecostal_Family Talks about the history of Pentecostalism and describes 3 main divisions within it. | | Middleway_-_Compassionate_Engagement_for_Peace_in_Society In the process of being registered as a Not for Profit Organization in Israel. Will support, promote, and extend peace activities in the region and abroad, working towards reconciliation. Silent walk | | Cloustons_of_Tyneside Family history as displayed by Peter Clouston. Features the ancestors and descendants of Joseph Storer Clouston (1866-1944). | | Greenlining_Institute A multi-ethnic public policy leadership training center in San Francisco that represents 35 minority, low-income, and community-based organizations throughout California. | | Glorify_His_Name A Christian site that includes a medical account of the crucifixion, and inspirational poetry. | | Sacred_Sex Illustrated essays about karezza, tantra yoga, the anseiratic mystery, orgasm control, and other forms of historical and contemporary sex worship and sex magic. | | Toltec Workshops and classes in standing and sitting meditation, chi gung and nei gung, taoist and indian yoga and a series of remarkable shamanic workshops in the toltec tradition. | | Bosnian_Support_Fund UK-based non-profit providing help to families diplaced by the war in Bosnia who want to return to their homes and rebuild their lives. The group offers support, advice and practical financial assista | | Winning_Workplaces Not-for-profit helping small and midsize employers create great workplaces. Core topics are open communications, employee involvement, rewards and recognition, work/life balance, trust and respect, a | | Bahrain_Freedom_Movement Promoting representative political participation and respect of human rights in Bahrain. | | Florida_Police_Benevolent_Association This is the state lead office for the PBA, which serves members with legal council, union negotiation, and maintains an up-to-date listing of topics concerning the police community in Florida. | | Louisiana_Division Officers, local chapters, and activities. | | Flashing_On_The_Sixties--Lisa_Law The photographs and life and work of Lisa Law, who photographed musicians, antiwar protests, Woodstock, and communes. |
|
A backdoor plan to thwart the electoral college | csmonitor.com document.write('.tabber{display:none;}'); var jsVarPageName = "/2006/0616/p01s02-uspo"; var openDaughterURL = "/cgi-bin/send-story?"+jsVarPageName.substring(1,jsVarPageName.length)+".txt"; var forWindowTopLocation = jsVarPageName+".html"; var openDaughterParams = "width=300,height=450,toolbar=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=0,resizable=0,status=0,location=0"; var jsVarSearch = ""; var jsVarPubdateParsed = "June 16, 2006"; var jsVarByline = "Randy Dotinga"; function setTitleISOLatin1(pTitle){ var rTitle = ""; for(var x = 0; x < pTitle.length; x++) { if(pTitle.charCodeAt(x) < 256) { rTitle += pTitle.charAt(x); } if( (pTitle.charCodeAt(x) == 8211) || (pTitle.charCodeAt(x) == 8212)) { rTitle += '-'; } } return rTitle;}var clickTitle = setTitleISOLatin1("A backdoor plan to thwart the electoral college | csmonitor.com"); md_page_num='1';md_headline='A backdoor plan to thwart the electoral college';md_byline='Randy Dotinga';md_pub_date='2006-06-16';md_base_path='/2006/0616/p01s02-uspo';md_bucket='Domestic Politics';md_section='USA';
Special Offer: Subscribe to the Monitor and get 32 issues FREE!
  World USA Commentary Work & Money Learning Living Innovation Environment A & E Books The Home Forum Home | About Us/Help | Archive | Subscribe | Feedback | Text Edition | Multimedia | Patchwork Nation |  Search: setPage(window.location.href);//Test cases.//setPage("http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0305/p13s01-litr.html");//setPage("http://www.csmonitor.com/arts");//setPage("http://www.csmonitor.com/living/travel");//setPage("http://www.csmonitor.com/world/africa");//setPage("http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0305/p13s01-duts.html");/*** This function extracts the section from the URL*/function setPage(basicUrl){var vSectionList = new Array();setUpSections(vSectionList);var newUrl;var Id;var regex = new RegExp("\\d\\d\\d\\d/\\d\\d\\d\\d/\\w\\d\\d\\w\\d\\d-\\w\\w\\w\\w.html");if(basicUrl.match(regex)){ //alert("Story"); regex = new RegExp("-\\w\\w\\w\\w."); newUrl = basicUrl.match(regex)[0]; newUrl = newUrl.substring(1, 3); Id = vSectionList[newUrl];}else{ //alert("Not a story"); chunks = basicUrl.split("/"); newUrl = chunks[3]; Id = newUrl;}//alert(newUrl);//alert(Id);if(document.getElementById(Id) != null){//alert("Set class");document.getElementById(Id).setAttribute("class", "layout-tab-selected");}}/** This function populates the section array*/function setUpSections(sectionList){sectionList["wo"] = "world";sectionList["us"] = "usa";sectionList["co"] = "commentary";sectionList["wm"] = "wam";sectionList['le'] = "learning";sectionList["li"] = "living";sectionList["st"] = "scitech";sectionList["al"] = "arts";sectionList["bo"] = "books";sectionList["hf"] = "homeforum";}.relocation {float: left;margin: 2px 0 0 5px;}#searchpanel {float:right;margin:-3px 0 0;}#searchpanel label {_margin: 0 -20px 0 0;padding: 0;} USA>Domestic Politicsfrom the June 16, 2006 editionA backdoor plan to thwart the electoral collegeSome states try to ensure that the winner of popular vote becomes president.By Randy Dotinga | Correspondent of The Christian Science MonitorSAN DIEGO – Picture it: On election day in some future year, a presidential candidate ends up with the most popular votes but not enough electoral votes to win. It's a repeat of the 2000 election in which one contender, Democrat Al Gore, took the majority of the national popular vote, while the other, Republican George W. Bush, clinched the most electoral college votes and, hence, the presidency. Get all the Monitor's headlines by e-mail.Subscribe for free.
E-mail this story
Write a letter to the Editor
Printer-friendly version
Permission to reprint/republish
del.icio.us
[ What's this? ]
digg
[ What's this? ]
But this time there's a twist: A bunch of states team up and give all their electoral college votes to the nationwide popular-vote winner, regardless of who won the most votes in their state. Then, the candidate who garners the most citizen votes in the country moves into the White House.Legislative houses in Colorado and California have recently approved this plan, known as the National Popular Vote proposal, taking it partway to passage. Other states, too, are exploring the idea of a binding compact among states that would oblige each of them to throw its electoral votes behind the national popular-vote winner.At issue is the nation's presidential election system governed by the electoral college. Established by the US Constitution in 1787, the system has occasionally awarded the presidency to candidates who couldn't muster the most votes nationwide, as happened in 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000.While an amendment to the Constitution could change or eliminate the electoral college, battleground states and small states would probably oppose any change that would leave them with less influence. Indeed, since the system's inception, numerous efforts to amend it have been defeated.Instead, reformers have turned to the interstate compact, saying it would be constitutional because agreements between states already exist.The compact is designed to take effect only if states representing 270 electoral votes approve the compact legislation, giving those states majority control of the electoral college. The result: The "compact" group of states would be able to determine a presidential election.The plan is supported by electoral reform activists and a bipartisan advisory group including former GOP Rep. John Anderson (a presidential candidate in 1980) and former Sen. Birch Bayh (D).They say the compact would allow long-ignored states to get attention again in presidential campaigns. The current system has "just taken a lot of states off of the presidential map," complains Rob Richie, executive director of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization based in Maryland, which supports the compact.The compact proposal passed the California Assembly on May 30 with all but one Republican opposing. It awaits a vote in the state Senate and, if it passes, approval or rejection by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who hasn't publicly expressed an opinion about it.Colorado's Senate approved the plan in April with bipartisan support, but it has not advanced because the legislative session there has ended.Five GOP Assembly members are pushing a popular-vote bill in New York, and legislators in Missouri, Louisiana, and Illinois have introduced bills. Advocates hope to put the legislation before every state by 2007, says Mr. Ritchie.Meanwhile, several newspapers have come out in favor of the plan, including The New York Times, which calls it an "ingenious solution."But in California, GOP Assemblyman Chuck DeVore derisively refers to the proposal as a way to "amend the Constitution without amending the Constitution.""It's like cheating," says Mr. DeVore, who predicts that the plan would force candidates to campaign primarily in urban areas with large populations to win the popular vote.Under the current system "we discourage regional candidacies and basically force people who are running for president to have a message that resonates with the vast middle of America," he says.DeVore supports a system that would allocate some of a state's electoral votes based on the popular vote in congressional districts, an approach that exists in Nebraska and Maine. All other states and the District of Columbia award all their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who gets the most votes in their state.It takes 270 electoral votes out of 538 total votes in the college to win the presidency. That total equals the number of members each state has in both houses of Congress, with the District of Columbia getting three of its own.The electoral college system is "distinctly American," says Shaun Bowler, a political scientist at the University of California, Riverside.In US history, there have been about 700 failed proposals in Congress to change the electoral college system, according to the Office of the Federal Register."It's safe to say that there has been no aspect of what the founders worked up in Philadelphia that has received more criticism than the electoral college," says historian Rick Shenkman of George Mason University.If any state approves this new proposal, legal challenges are inevitable, Bowler says.But he figures there might be a way to dampen enthusiasm. "You could say the French elect their president directly," he says. "I'm thinking that will get people running away from any support: If the French do it, is it really right for the US?"[ Editor's note: The original version contained a paragraph that misstated how the proposed system would work.]Related StoriesEditorial: What Counts in Ohio Recount 12/20/04In Ohio, the electoral mayhem that didn't happen 11/04/04For reliable voting results, look abroad 11/03/04
E-mail
Print
Letter to the Editor
Republish
del.icio.us
digg
Get Monitor stories by e-mail: (Your e-mail address will be protected by csmonitor.com's tough privacy policy.)
Sponsored Links
Apparel
T-Shirts Design Online
Awards & Trophies
Trophies Plaques in 48 Hrs
Booking Agency
Grabow Entertainment Agency
Business Resources
Business Cards
Free Business Cards
Postcards
T-Shirts
Education
Student Loans
Graphic Design
Logo Design - LogoBee
Printing
Printing
Real Estate
International Shipping
Mortgage Calculator
Moving
Moving Companies
Real Estate
Toronto Condo
Toronto Condos
Speakers Bureau
Motivational Speakers
Travel
Trip Atlas-Travel Guide
Web Services
Dedicated Servers
SEO
Web Hosting
 /*Copyright (c) 2007, Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.Code licensed under the BSD License:http://developer.yahoo.net/yui/license.txtversion: 2.3.1*/#printedition-spotlight { width: 300px; margin-bottom: 20px;}.yui-navset .yui-nav li,.yui-navset .yui-navset-top .yui-nav li,.yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li{ margin:0 0.5em 0 0;}.yui-navset-left .yui-nav li,.yui-navset-right .yui-nav li { margin:0 0 0.5em;}.yui-navset .yui-navset-left .yui-nav,.yui-navset .yui-navset-right .yui-nav,.yui-navset-left .yui-nav,.yui-navset-right .yui-nav { width:6em;}.yui-navset-top .yui-nav,.yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav { width:auto;}.yui-navset .yui-navset-left,.yui-navset-left {padding:0 0 0 6em;}.yui-navset-right {padding:0 6em 0 0;}.yui-navset-top,.yui-navset-bottom {padding:auto;}.yui-nav,.yui-nav li {margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;}.yui-navset li em {font-style:normal;}.yui-navset {position:relative;zoom:1;}.yui-navset .yui-content {zoom:1;}.yui-navset .yui-nav li,.yui-navset .yui-navset-top .yui-nav li,.yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li {display:inline-block;display:-moz-inline-stack;*display:inline;vertical-align:bottom;cursor:pointer;zoom:1;}.yui-navset-left .yui-nav li,.yui-navset-right .yui-nav li {display:block;}.yui-navset .yui-nav a {position:relative;}.yui-navset .yui-nav li a,.yui-navset-top .yui-nav li a,.yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li a {display:block;display:inline-block;vertical-align:bottom;zoom:1;}.yui-navset-left .yui-nav li a,.yui-navset-right .yui-nav li a {display:block;}.yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li a {vertical-align:text-top;}.yui-navset .yui-nav li a em,.yui-navset-top .yui-nav li a em,.yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li a em {display:block;border: 1px solid #004970;}.yui-navset .yui-navset-left .yui-nav,.yui-navset .yui-navset-right .yui-nav,.yui-navset-left .yui-nav,.yui-navset-right .yui-nav {position:absolute;z-index:1;}.yui-navset-top .yui-nav,.yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav {position:static;}.yui-navset .yui-navset-left .yui-nav,.yui-navset-left .yui-nav {left:0;right:auto;}.yui-navset .yui-navset-right .yui-nav,.yui-navset-right .yui-nav {right:0;left:auto;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav li,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-top .yui-nav li {margin:0 0.16em 0 0;padding:1px 0 0;zoom:1;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav .selected,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-top .yui-nav .selected {margin:0 0.16em -1px 0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-top .yui-nav a {border:solid #a3a3a3;border-width:0 1px;color:#000;position:relative;text-decoration:none;color: #fff;background: #d8d8d8 url(/images/tab-bg.gif) repeat-x left -3px;border-color: #004970;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav a em,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-top .yui-nav a em {border:solid #a3a3a3;border-color: #004970;border-width:1px 0 0;cursor:hand;padding:0.25em .75em;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;top:-1px;position:relative;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav .selected a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav .selected a:focus,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav .selected a:hover {color:#fff;color: #000;background: #2647a0 url(/images/tab-bg-active.gif) repeat-x left -3px;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav a:hover,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav a:focus {/*background:#bfdaff url(sprite.png) repeat-x left -1300px;*/outline:0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav .selected a em {padding:0.35em 0.75em;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav .selected a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-nav .selected a em {border-color:#243356;border-color: #004970;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-content {background:#f8f8f8;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-content,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-top .yui-content {border:1px solid #808080;border-top-color:#243356;border-color: #004970;padding:0.25em 0.5em;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-left .yui-nav,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-right .yui-nav,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav {border-width:0 5px 0 0;Xposition:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-right .yui-nav,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav {border-width:0 0 0 5px;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav li,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-left .yui-nav li,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav li {margin:0 0 0.16em;padding:0 0 0 1px;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav li {padding:0 1px 0 0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav .selected,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-left .yui-nav .selected {margin:0 -1px 0.16em 0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav .selected {margin:0 0 0.16em -1px;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav a {border-width:1px 0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav a em,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-left .yui-nav a em,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav a em {border-width:0 0 0 1px;padding:0.2em .75em;top:auto;left:-1px;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav a em {border-width:0 1px 0 0;left:auto;right:-1px;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav .selected a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-nav a:hover,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav .selected a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-right .yui-nav a:hover,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav .selected a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav a:hover {background-image:none;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-left .yui-content {border:1px solid #808080;border-left-color:#243356;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav {border-width:5px 0 0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav .selected,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav .selected {margin:-1px 0.16em 0 0;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li {padding:0 0 1px 0;vertical-align:top;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li a,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav li a {}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav a em,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-nav a em {border-width:0 0 1px;top:auto;bottom:-1px;}.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset-bottom .yui-content,.yui-skin-sam .yui-navset .yui-navset-bottom .yui-content {border:1px solid #808080;border-bottom-color:#243356;}#printedition-spotlight .category { display: block; margin-top: 7px;}#printedition-spotlight .feature-link { font-family: Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 1.2em;}#printedition-spotlight a.feature-link:hover { }#printedition-spotlight .summary { margin-top: 5px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.2em;} Photos Blogs Environment  Photos Photos of the Day The best photos from September 4, 2008.  ELECTION '08 Patchwork Nation The American voter beyond red and blue  FISHERIES Empty Oceans Series The sea is no longer so vast. var vProductionSpotlight = new YAHOO.widget.TabView('printedition-spotlight');x#podcast-promo div.podcast{ width: 278px; border: 1px solid #004970; padding: 10px; background: url("/images/podcast-background.gif") no-repeat;}#podcast-promo .topper h3 { display: inline; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 16px; color: #cc6633;}#podcast-promo img { border: none;}#podcast-promo .podcast h3 { font-family: arial, tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; color: #000; padding: 0 0 3px 0;}#podcast-promo h4.today { font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 12px; color: #000; padding: 0; margin: 0 0 10px 0;}#podcast-promo p { font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0 0 7px 0; padding: 0;}#podcast-promo .headshot { float: left; width: 60px;}#podcast-promo .audio-content { float: left; width: 218px; padding: 0; margin: 0;}#podcast-promo .headshot img { border: 1px solid #666; margin: 0 10px 0 0;}#podcast-promo hr { border: none; border-bottom: 1px dotted #666; margin: 15px 0 15px 0; padding: 0;}#podcast-promo p.podcast-footer { color: #999; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0;}#podcast-promo p.podcast-footer a { color: #003366; text-decoration: none;}#podcast-promo p.podcast-footer span img { vertical-align: middle;}#podcast-promo div.topper img { display: inline; vertical-align: bottom; padding-right: 3px;}#podcast-promo .topper { padding-bottom: 4px;}#podcast-promo p.audio-summary { margin-top: 4px;}  Daily podcast Monitor Reports Discussions with Monitor reporters from around the world Today  Sen. John McCain prepares for his big night Subscribe in iTunes |  RSS feed | All Audio MONITOR BREAKFAST Veterans Affairs secretary: New GI benefits a plus Free college tuition will boost recruiting, says Peake.  Most-viewed Stories(for 09/05/2008)In dispirited Detroit, mayor pleads guilty (09/05/2008)Pakistan: Uproar grows over first ground assault by US troops(09/04/2008)Flooding in India: Why wasn't the government ready?(09/05/2008)Cheney visit: U.S. treads tightrope on Georgia aid (09/05/2008)France gives boost to Israeli-Syrian talks(09/05/2008)//Online Directory #franchisegator {width: 140px;height: 148px;_height: 150px;background-color: #d8dbad;border: 1px solid #336799;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 10px;text-align: center;padding: 0;margin: 20px 0;float: right;}#franchisegator h2 {color: #fff;background-color: #336799;font-size: 12px;margin: 0;}#franchisegator p {margin: 0;padding: 0;font-size: 10px;}#franchisegator select {font-size: 9px;width: 130px;}#franchisegator input.submit_fgator {background:#7D9933 none repeat scroll 0%;border:3px double #fff;color:#fff;font-weight:bold;font-size: 10px;}Today's print issue Enlarge page one  document.write('(About these ads)');google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572";google_ad_width = 300;google_ad_height = 250;google_ad_format = "300x250_as";google_ad_type = "text_image";//2007-07-24: USA USA > Generalgoogle_ad_channel = "usa";google_color_border = "E7E7CE";google_color_bg = "FFFFFF";google_color_link = "341473";google_color_text = "000000";google_color_url = "CC6600";document.write('');document.write('');  Home | About Us/Help | Feedback | Subscribe | Archive | Print Edition | Site Map | Special Projects | Corrections Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Rights & Permissions | Terms of Service | Advertise With Us | Today's Article on Christian Science www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2008 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); document.write(' |
|
