Mass. Speaker backs national popular vote pushBOSTON (AP) - House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi says he supports an initiative to bypass the Electoral College and guarantee the winner of the popular vote nationally is elected president.
The "National Popular Vote" initiative is aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2000 election, when Al Gore got the most votes nationwide but George W. Bush put together enough victories in key states to win a majority in the Electoral College.
DiMasi said the change would take away some of the "quirkiness and nuances" of the election process.
Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey have already approved the initiative. Critics of the proposal say it could reduce the influence of smaller states.
The Electoral College is set up by the Constitution to make the final decision on who becomes president. States get one electoral vote for each member of their congressional delegation.
Under the initiative, states would give their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The "National Popular Vote" initiative is aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2000 election, when Al Gore got the most votes nationwide but George W. Bush put together enough victories in key states to win a majority in the Electoral College.
DiMasi said the change would take away some of the "quirkiness and nuances" of the election process.
Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey have already approved the initiative. Critics of the proposal say it could reduce the influence of smaller states.
The Electoral College is set up by the Constitution to make the final decision on who becomes president. States get one electoral vote for each member of their congressional delegation.
Under the initiative, states would give their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.