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posted by Fnord666 on Monday July 13 2020, @04:23PM   Printer-friendly

Absurdity of the Electoral College:

Here's one nice thing we can now say about the Electoral College: it's slightly less harmful to our democracy than it was just days ago. In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states have the right to "bind" their electors, requiring them to support whichever presidential candidate wins the popular vote in their state. Justice Elena Kagan's opinion was a blow to so-called "faithless electors," but a win for self-government. "Here," she wrote, "the People rule."

Yet while we can all breathe a sigh of relief that rogue electors won't choose (or be coerced) into derailing the 2020 presidential contest, the Court's unanimous ruling is a helpful reminder that our two-step electoral process provides America with no tangible benefits and near-limitless possibilities for disaster. To put it more bluntly, the Electoral College is a terrible idea. And thanks to the Justices' decision, getting rid of it has never been easier.

[...] The Electoral College, in other words, serves no useful purpose, other than to intermittently and randomly override the people's will. It's the appendix of our body politic. Most of the time we don't notice it, and then every so often it flares up and nearly kills us.

[...] Justice Kagan's words – "Here, the People rule" – are stirring. But today, they are still more aspiration than declaration. By declining to make the Electoral College an even great threat to our democracy, the Court did its job. Now it's up to us. If you live in a state that hasn't joined the interstate compact, you can urge your state legislators and your governor to sign on. And no matter where you're from, you can dispel the myths about the Electoral College and who it really helps, myths that still lead some people to support it despite its total lack of redeeming qualities.

More than 215 years after the Electoral College was last reformed with the 12th Amendment, we once again have the opportunity to protect our presidential-election process and reassert the people's will. Regardless of who wins the White House in 2020, it's a chance we should take.

Would you get rid of the Electoral College? Why or why not?

Also at:
Supremes Signal a Brave New World of Popular Presidential Elections
Supreme Court Rules State 'Faithless Elector' Laws Constitutional
U.S. Supreme Court curbs 'faithless electors' in presidential voting
Supreme Court rules states can remove 'faithless electors'


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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @09:13PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 13 2020, @09:13PM (#1020700)

    The people who can fix US Education are the very ones who benefit from it being broken. Keep the reality TV shows flowing.

    Not so much. Curricula are generally set on a state by state basis. Are you claiming that *every* state legislator/education department official is opposed to quality education? If so, with what evidence do you make such a claim?

    What's more, education funding is generally set at the local level, with input/funds from the state as well.

    In fact, less than 10% of K-12 fundng comes from the Federal government [ed.gov]. Which means the vast majority of school funding comes from states and municipalities (often, but not always, from *local* property taxes).

    Given that only a few thousand (at most) votes is often enough to elect a school board member, and not too much more is required to elect town/city council members, mayors/county executives, etc., forcing positive change at that level is absolutely doable.

    The people who can fix Campaign Finance are the very ones who benefit from it being broken.

    This is absolutely true. However, many states and municipalities have implemented serious campaign finance reforms, including publicly funded elections. Doing so more broadly, especially at the Federal level, will require folks around the country to make lots of noise and vote out those who oppose such reforms.

    This is a big problem for our political system and needs to be addressed. Making appropriate changes will require *grassroots* action.

    The people who can fix Corruption are the very ones who benefit from it.

    That's only partly true. Corruption at the Federal level is minuscule compared to the corruption at state and local levels.

    Favoritism, nepotism and self-dealing need to be harshly dealt with as well. Again, change like this needs to come from the grassroots, with constituents *demanding* real changes. Unless and until that happens, ALEC [alec.org] written legislation is in the future (not to mention the present) of your state/municipality.

    The people who can drain the swamp are the very ones whose lives are dependent upon its very existence.

    This isn't even close to being true.

    The majority of those elected to Federal office (mostly due to financial reporting requirements) limits a lot of that while the official is in office. Closing the government/private sector revolving door, as well as campaign finance reforms can address this pretty easily. But again, it requires grassroots *action*.

    Any questions?

    Many. You claim that there's only doom and gloom, but you make no recommendations for change, even though there are many, many avenues to effect positive change. Much of that needs to happen at the state and local levels, where your voice can be much louder than on the national stage.

    1. What are *you* doing to address these issues?
    2. Are you aware of the efforts in your state/municipality to address them?
    3. What do you propose we should do about it?

    I'll start with those three questions. I look forward to your answers and comments on my response.

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  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 15 2020, @01:38PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 15 2020, @01:38PM (#1021897) Journal

    Curricula are generally set on a state by state basis.

    Curricula are generally set by the state of Texas.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.