Sunday, November 13, 2011

Electoral College

Facts/Details
  1. Mr. Pileggi would have Pennsylvania join two other states, Nebraska and Maine, in abandoning the winner-take-all system. One electoral vote would be awarded for each of the state's Congressional districts, and the winner of the popular vote would receive two more.
  2. Even though Democrats have won Pennsylvania in the last five presidential elections, the state remains competitive.
  3. In two states, PA and WI, GOP legislators have introduced bills that would change how electoral votes.
  4. Pennsylvania's 12 publican U.S. representatives suddenly became nervous about any possible danger to their re-elections that the change in electoral vote apportionment might pose and then sent word tostate legislators to “cool it.”
  5. Nebraska Republicans are looking to return to winner-take-all.
  6. The two electoral votes that go to the statewide winner won’t motivate candidates sufficiently to campaign statewide to win them.
  7. The concept of awarding electoral votes by congressional district has been around since the 1950s.
  8. Under the current system, the most important part of the Democratic campaign strategy in Pennsylvania is to try to maximize turnout in Philadelphia and southeastern counties.
  9. If the congressional district plan had been in place in Pennsylvania in recent presidential elections, it would not have affected the outcome of any presidential election.
  10. By early September, GOP Gov. Tom Corbett and the state House and Senate leaders, Mike Turzai and Dominic Pileggi, both Republicans, had all expressed their support for the idea.
Questions:
  1. Why, all of a sudden are changes being proposed?
  2. What differences to the Democrats and Republicans have on these changes?
  3. Are certain states almost joining together and alienating from other states?
  4. How did this plan come about?
  5. Is it likely the electoral college will change in the near future?

Sources:


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