Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Scott Walker: Electoral Vote Proportional Allocation An 'Interesting' Idea

WASHINGTON -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) did not rule out allocating the state's electoral votes proportionally Saturday.

"It's an interesting idea," he told a Newsmax interviewer at the National Review Institute Summit in Washington after speaking at a lunch. "I haven't committed one way or the other to it. For me, and I think any other state considering this, you should really look at not just the short-term but the long-term implications. Is it better or worse for the electorate?

Said Walker, "Some might argue that it would give more opportunity for candidates to jump in; others suggest it might reduce it."

"I think we have to very careful in changes like that. But I think it's worth looking at," he said.

A Huffington Post analysis showed that if the electoral college allocated its votes proportionally by congressional district, then former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney would have won the 2012 election. In the 2012 election, Republicans retained a majority in the House but lost the House popular vote, thanks to gerrymandered districts in several states. Nebraska and Maine currently allocate one electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district and two to the winner statewide.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus backs changing Wisconsin and other mostly blue states' electoral votes. Such a plan would likely give Republicans more electoral votes in national elections because blue states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan have substantially red districts. Walker has previously expressed interest in the idea.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) came out against a similar plan percolating in his state's legislature Friday, with a spokeswoman saying the governor believes the state's system works "just fine."

Original Article
Source: huffington post
Author: Luke Johnson

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