Electoral college crisis as changes could mask attempt to manipulate election results

Democracy, elections, and voting at Democracy Chronicles

Thanks to Election Law Blog by Rick Hasen for the post leading us to this article.  US Attorney General Eric Holder is warning that attempts by states to change vote allocations for Presidential elections would endanger democracy itself.  From the article, “Eric Holder slams electoral vote tinkering” by Josh Gerstein on Politico:

“Recent proposed changes in how electoral votes are apportioned in specific states are blatantly partisan, unfair, divisive, and not worthy of our nation,” Holder said in a speech Thursday night to Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. “Let me be clear again: we will not sit by and allow the slow unraveling of an electoral system that so many sacrificed so much to construct.”

Late last year, Republicans in Pennsylvania re-proposed that the state drop its winner-take-all system for electoral votes in presidential elections and move towards one that would parcel out those votes based on the popular vote in the state. That could encourage presidential candidates to pay more attention to the Keystone state at a time when it seems to be drifting more and more firmly into the Democratic column in presidential elections.

An Electoral College change in Pennsylvania could have large impact on national elections. At the least, a national popular vote plan would revolutionize American Presidential elections. Also see the article New York Urged to Pass National Popular Vote Plan on Democracy Chronicles.