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Electoral college considerations

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President-elect Donald Trump is claiming a special mandate by winning the popular vote, though only by a little over 2 million (1.5%; and getting below 50% of total popular vote) compared to President Joe Biden’s winning margin of about 7 million (4%; 51%) over Trump in 2020.

If the electoral college had already been scrapped, would the popular vote have been significantly changed by the candidates campaigning in all states, not just battleground ones?

Why did Washington state have its’ lowest turnout in 28 years? Why was California’s historically low ( California’s Voter Turnout Sank in 2024 - Public Policy Institute of California , 11/18/24)? With the electoral college in force, did Democrats who vote only in presidential elections, historically more numerous than their Republican counterparts, stay home in reliably blue Washington — and other such states like California? Notably, California supplied most of Hillary Clinton’s almost 3 million popular-vote margin over Trump in 2016.

Constitutional Amendment is one avenue to scrapping the electoral college but isn’t the only one. Some states have already passed legislation triggering all of their presidential electoral votes going to the national popular vote winner once enough states totaling at least 270 electoral votes passes this legislation. States not yet on board totaling at least 61 more electoral votes are needed. Washington and California have already passed this. States considered most likely to join anew are Virginia, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and North Carolina (Map shows where effort to replace Electoral College stands - CBS News, 10/3/24)

Norm Luther

 
 

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