a maybe not so crazy idea

[plural]

Update: Please link to http://www.wolfenet.com/~plural - it is our temporary webhome a domain has been registered and we are waiting for DNS servers to catch up - Thanks and sorry about the bold

If Bush takes Florida that will give him enough
Electoral votes (271) to become president
but he will have lost the popular vote

If Gore takes Oregon
that will put him at 267 Electoral votes
just three shy of the 270 needed to win

now technically
the electoral college is supposed
to vote in accordance with the results
of the state balloting

and all but two states have a law
which establishes a winner take all
in respect to the electoral vote
which means whomever wins
the popular vote
for that state gets all of the votes

Now the electoral college
is not required to cast their votes this way
there have been several cases in the past
where a member of the electoral college
has voted contrary to the public vote

In most states
this is perfectly legal
in Washington state
it is a misdemeanor
which carries a $1000 dollar fine

In which case
I think we should all buck up
and agree to pay any related legal costs
for Electors who vote contrary to their state
and in accordance with the popular vote.

So all we have to do
is between now and December 18th
is to convince 4 members of the electoral college
to follow the Popular vote on the national level
instead of their particular states vote

If you live in a State
that went for Bush
go to this link

Electoral College Homepage

Under the first subheading "Electoral Results"
The last listing is "Electoral Votes, by State, listing individual electors:"
with links to the years 1992 and 1996

by Federal law
every state must prepare and file seven "Certificates of Ascertainment"
listing each of the Electors for that state
as soon as election results are finalized for that state

very shortly we should see a link for 2000 appear at the end of that line
which will list by state the names of all the electors
contact your electors
and tell them to support the popular vote
and cast their vote for Gore/Lieberman

If you don't live in a state that went for Bush
call electors from other states
once the list has been posted
I will attempt to gather contact information
for the 538 electors starting with the states that went for Bush
and will post it here

Some of you may want Bush to win
other may just think I am crazy
but I think of it this way

It is only a matter of changing the minds
of four people

people like you or I
and if you assume they follow the national demographic
half of them, when they cast their ballots
voted for Gore

(correction - each party selects a slate of electors equal to the total number of representatives which that state has in both houses of congress, so if the republicans won a state, then all of the republican electors were elected, so we need to convince four republicans to see things our way, a slight increase in difficulty but again it is only 4 people)

And if we succeed
we can say
we altered the course of history
for the most powerful nation on earth

How is that for something to tell your grand kids?

If you agree with my idea
link to it
spread the word
lets start a popular uprising
and make it happen

If you like this idea you can read more of my thoughts on this matter Here

remember
all we have to do
is convince
four people


Update: Please link to http://www.wolfenet.com/~plural - it is our temporary webhome a domain has been registered and we are waiting for DNS servers to catch up - Thanks and sorry about the bold

Comments

Re: Good Reason?

[beloth.livejournal.com]

Simple.
The electorial college design deals with not population imbalances but in giving each state a say in the election process.
If we did the election by popular vote....
Politicians would campaign in New York
California and Florida and very little else.
They would concentrate on the largest states with the most voters and that would be about it.
Plus if you think the concept is archaic and outdated then petition your members in congress to change it.
The constitution was designed to be changed so it can evolve over time.

Beloth

Re: Good Reason?

[paved.livejournal.com]

what are you talking about.
if doing that, campaigning in only the most populated states, is what the candidate would do, it's still fair because both or however many candidates there are can all do that.
and anyway, if the candidate is stupid and assholic and undermining enough to think that that's what they should do, then we're screwed anyway.

what exactly is it that you like about bush?

Re: Good Reason?

[konundrum.livejournal.com]

true that we need to be campaigning to change the electoral vote system to a popular vote system, as Hillary Clinton is already advocating. my guess is that this pathetic display of democracy-gone-wrong is already opening up many peoples' eyes to the problems with the archaic electoral system.

however, there has been a reversal in a presidential election due to a recount...

if you're going to be an ass, at least get your facts straight.

Re: Good Reason?

[beloth.livejournal.com]

So i am a ass because i do not agree with your cause to undermind the way the election has been conducted for the past 100+years?
Fuck yourself bitch.
2nd there has been no reversal .
Bush still leads Gore in votes in Florida and Gores popular vote advantage has slipped to below one hundred thousand. SO if anything Gores position from the election day is eroding.
Fucking democratic lemmings.

BELOTH

Democratic Lemmings?

[millionz.livejournal.com]

Democratic lemmings? I would say that you seem to be buying into all the hype and lies that the Republicans have been spewing. First they claim that the butterfly-ballot used in West Palm is the same as the one used in Chicago, Ted Koppel in his news telecast last week showed this to be untrue. Then they claim that Gore is taking this to far saying Bush would be the better man and concede after the first recount. They claim legal action would be divisive and cause a constitutional crisis hoping that this will cause a frenzy in which Gore is painted as a sore loser who is attempting to undermine our democracy, and you are buying it.

The big claim on this board by those opposed to what Plural proposes is that if the Electoral College was abandoned no one would pay attention to the small states. Candidates would only campaign in the big cities. Am I the only one who sees how ridiculous and false that is. Bush took 49% of the popular vote mainly by winning all the small states in Middle America. Does anyone really think that any candidate would be willing to abandon campaigning in those small states and risk losing millions of votes just because the electoral college is gone? Even if candidates did stop campaigning there explain to me how it would be worse for the country that candidates only campaigned in cities with large populations rather then the current system in which candidates only campaign in swing states like PA, FL, and MI. The greatest lie of this election that is being perpetuated by both the Republicans and the Democrats (as well as by the media) is that every vote counts and this election proves it. Thanks to the Electoral College we all know that statement to be a lie. A much more true statement would be "if you live in a swing state in a close election then yes I suppose your vote counts. If not tough luck your vote really doesn't mean a thing." Because of the Electoral College it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that if your state is not close you need not bother to vote. That is not the message that should be sent to the electorate. No matter what your party affiliation you should not accept it.

One Man One Vote.