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To the editor: The Electoral College was a compromise between those who wanted the president to be elected by popular vote and those who wanted the president elected by Congress. The compromise left it to states to determine how electors were chosen, with each state entitled to one electoral vote for every House and Senate seat to which it was entitled.
Back then, both communications and transportation were primitive, limiting the availability of information, and many distrusted pure âpopular democracyâ that gave direct voting power to uneducated citizens. Slavery also played a major role in rejecting the popular vote method. Another compromise allowed slave states to count three fifths of the slave population in determining how many members of congress, thus how many electors, they were entitled to. Since slaves could not vote, choosing the president by popular vote have given slave states far less power. A slaveholdi
Every legislative session, there are one or two bills that pass with consequences that surprise the public. This session, Senate Bill 2271 could be such a bill.
Minot
Though it passed the North Dakota Senate 43-3, here’s hoping the House gives SR 2271 –I call it the Secret Election Act the visible death it deserves.
This under-the-radar bill attempts to maintain the integrity of the Electoral College for presidential elections. However you feel about the Electoral College, this is NOT the way to do it. It is ham-handed, backhanded and rewards secrecy.
And now, at least one of the senators who voted for the bill is having second thoughts.
Sen. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, responded to my inquiry as to why she voted yes:
“First, this bill has no effect unless the country does away with the electoral vote.” (Note: Not quite true, as explained later). “Unfortunately, however, I realize now that it’s not that simple and was unaware of the potential major implications of this. I am big enough to admit when I made a mistake and did not have as much information as I should have before voting yes,” Oban wrote.
American Legislative Exchange Council
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Jonathan Williams
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