Abolish the Electoral College

It would be great to have California divide its electoral votes on the basis of the ratio of votes for president.

The reason I applaud this proposed change is simple, and selfish.

A Republican would be elected president in 2008.

Probably in 2012 too, even if Democrats caught on and by some miracle were able to get all states to change to proportional division of electors by popular vote.

The reason the Republicans would continue winning is simple: the power of incumbency.

I have another “selfish” reason for wanting the change besides future Republican victories. I’m a Republican in the Northern California Democrat fiefdom. It would be nice to have my vote for president mean something. In my district, instead of “one man, one vote,” it’s “Republican? Why vote?”

The Electoral College got us a win in 2000. Without the Electoral College we might have won anyway, because without it voting patterns would change, and the changes might have brought out more Republicans in places, like Northern California, where voting in presidential elections seems futile.

Some say that doing away with the Electoral College, and going to direct popular voting for president would favor the big states.

Why?

Because that’s where most of the people live.

OK.

One man…excuse me, one person, one vote.

What’s wrong with that?