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Rep. Jackson's Electoral College Reform

October 8, 2004

JACKSON: END ELECTORAL COLLEGE & ELECT PRES/VP DIRECTLY

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., today introduced legislation House Joint Resolution 109, which would add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution eliminating the Electoral College and allowing the American people to directly elect their President and Vice President. Jackson stated, "It's time the American people did to the election of their President and Vice President what they did by adding the 17th Amendment with respect to U.S. Senators - let the American people elect them directly instead of having state legislatures select them for us. Similarly it's time the American people, our republican form of government and our representative democracy were allowed to elect their President and Vice President directly instead of indirectly through the Electoral College."

Part of the rationale for establishing the Electoral College in the first place was to make sure that the slaving-owning southern states would have disproportionate power and, therefore, a disproportionate say over who would be elected President and Vice President and, therefore, be able to preserve their peculiar institution. The American people understand democracy and are fully mature democrats. It's time to end the paternalism of the Electoral College.

H.J. Res. 109 respects, values and trusts the American people with direct democracy in a republican or representative form of government. H.J. Res. 109 also respects the principle of one-person one-vote. Finally, it respects and affirms the democratic principle of majority rule.

The amendment contains the following provisions:

Section 1. The President and Vice President shall be elected jointly by
the direct vote of the citizens of the United States, without regard to whether the citizens are residents of a State.

Section 2. The persons having the greatest number of votes for President and Vice President shall be elected, so long as such persons have a majority of the votes cast.

Section 3. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article through
appropriate legislation.

Section 4. This article shall apply with respect to any election for
President and Vice President held after the expiration of the 1-year period which begins on the date of the ratification of this article.

Congressman Jackson concluded, "I will reintroduce this legislation in every future Congress to which I am elected.".

Find more on the status of this bill at here

 

What's New in the Electoral College

Electoral College Table of Contents

Pending Legislation

Lobbying Congress


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