What Happens if there is Another Split Between Popular and Electoral Vote?

If Obama wins the Electoral College and loses the popular vote, I guarantee there will be a huge movement from the right to move to a popular vote system. If the Democrats are smart they'll go along with it, because ultimately it will benefit them.

Also, electing the President by popular vote is a more (small d) democratic and fair system. So, I'm all for it.

 

The EC is going nowhere. After the bitterness of the 2000 election, despite increased partisanship today, both sides will accept what the EC says.

Again, I don't think any serious challenge to the EC will occur, mandate arguments or not. What would be interesting (horrific) is if there's an electoral tie so we have a John Adams situation. Obama will 100% lose in that case.

 

Honestly hope the GOP doesn't jump on that train, but I wouldn't put it past them.

 

i think it should be electoral college. but also a few points should go to each state. say 75% EC and the remaining 25% split up through the % of popular vote. that way say people in TX and NY will have a little more incentive to vote even though they know ultimately that the ny will go dem and tx will go repub.

 

Keep it in the electoral college, perfectly comfortable balancing states' interests against those of big cities.

 

first stage of denial is speculation about electoral/popular vote split

 

It would be an unpopular result.

Literally.

 

marist poll is crap.

there will not be a split, and the result will not be close.

 

I think the most fascinating (and unlikely) scenario would be:

1. Obama wins popular vote
2. Romney wins 1 district in Maine that splits its votes (real possibility right now)
3. Romney wins a total of 269 electoral votes, thanks to the 1 Maine vote
4. Romney wins the Presidency thru the House of Representatives

I think all hell would break loose at that point.

 

and we have a constitutionally prescribed process for dealing with this.

should have been followed in 2000, IMO, but Gore didn't trust it.

 

I always thought the Judicial system was part of the Constitution?

 

Yes, as your wise posts have shown us, Mitt will win all 50 states. There's no doubt about it!

 

I think it'll be more entertaining (although far less chaotic) if Obama wins on the 1 electoral vote he got from Nebraska in 2008. The Omaha congressional district is more likely to go to Obama (even with redistricting) than the Maine district for Romney.

 

Interesting - I think you know this stuff better than me, but I had heard that Nebraska was not in play this year, but that some polling showed the Maine district up for grabs. I haven't seen any actual polls or data on either.

And yes, that would be more fun. I'm pretty sure, in either case, Maine and Nebraska would change their laws.

 

part of the government, not the constitutionally prescribed process for dealing with an election tie.

 

There was no scenario in the 2000 election that was going to result in a tie.

 

don't remember all the details at this point, but i believe there was one scenario, not unlikely if the court case hadn't forestalled it, where there could have been two competing slates of florida electors, and the election would have ended up in the house, who would then decide which slate to seat.

IIRC, the new house would have been seated first, then the vote.

i may be misremembering some of the details.

 

I seriously doubt that. Some may do it but a majority will not support this due to the fact that most conservatives are rather strict Constitutionalists.

 

I think the electoral college is a bit out of date. Yes, the original intent was to balance the big states with small states. But state powers have diminished so much since the early days of the country, and overall the concentration of power is in the national govt these days anyways.

That said, I don't think just winning the popular vote is necessarily "better" for determining our president. There are problems with that system too. But overall it would at least sound more fair.