By
Stephanie Miceli - July 28, 2010
"All men are created equal," and all votes are, too, as
reflected by the Bay State's most recent political move. The Massachusetts
Legislature has passed a bill intended to uproot the Electoral College system
in favor of a national popular vote.
Passed on a 28-to-9 vote, the bill is pending approval
from Governor Deval Patrick. According to his spokeswoman Kim Haberlin, the
governor has expressed past support for such a bill.
If the bill becomes a law, the candidate who receives the
most votes nationally would be assured the state's 12 electoral votes.
Massachusetts
would join the ranks of Illinois, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, and Washington,
who have already approved the legislation. However, these states only account
for 61 electoral votes combined. For such a system to go into effect, states
accounting for a majority of the electoral votes (270 of 538) must approve
similar legislation.
Opponents
are concerned; scenarios may emerge in which voters must submit all of the
state's 12 electoral votes to a national winner who hasn't won in
Massachusetts.
In four of
the nation's 56 elections, the popular vote winner has lost, making for an
archaic and confusing system, according to bill supporters.
But Senator
James B. Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, said presidential candidates now "ignore
wide swaths of the country," primarily focusing their campaigns on what
they consider strongly red or blue states.
Elbridge
argued if the president were picked by national popular vote, candidates would run
more evenly attentive campaigns.
Richard R.
Tisei, a Republican and the Senate minority leader, disagrees. He said
candidates would be forced to focus on cities, where they can generate the most
support.
"They're going to spend all their time in New York City and Los Angeles," said Tisei, "and to hell with the rest of the country."
(Photo Courtesy: AP Images)
