WKAR-MSU/Flickr
Shortly after the 2012 elections, Republicans started kicking around a radical idea: identify battleground states where President Obama won, noting which ones were run by Republican policymakers, and changing the way they allocate electoral votes. Instead of a winner-take-all system used by nearly every state, these states would rig the election by awarding votes based on gerrymandered congressional district lines.
Six states were immediately part of the mix: Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. And slowly but surely, as revulsion to the scheme has grown, the number of states where the plan is viable has dwindled.
First, leading GOP lawmakers in Florida have already balked, and soon after, Republican unanimity in Virginia collapsed. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker (R) reconsidered his lukewarm encouragement, and in Ohio every state GOP leader decided they weren't interested. Even Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R), who put this idea on the table in the first place, said, "Nobody in Ohio is advocating this."
The state House may be considering a new and controversial plan on how Michigan's electoral college votes are distributed, but the state Senate isn't interested, said Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville.
"I don't know that the system now is broken. So I don't know that we need to fix it," he said.... Changing the system, "Is not on our agenda," he said.
To be sure, Michigan Republicans have demonstrated the capacity to quickly change their minds, and Mr. Richardville might be persuaded to put it on his agenda at some point in the future, but if the state Senate isn't interested, the scheme can't pass.
And that leaves Pennsylvania, where the plan remains on the table, but where there's been no action on the scheme.
If the plans fall apart completely, and no state follow through on the idea, it's fair to say the sunlight (i.e. public attention and media scrutiny) served as the ideal disinfectant.
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Rachel,
Thanks so much for discovering this election-rigging plan and then alerting Democrats nationwide of the problem. Without your diligence, I have absolutely no doubt that this scheme would have quickly become a reality in many swing states.
Once Democrats everywhere became aware of the problem and put the spotlight on Republicans, it made all the difference.
I just became your biggest fan, as you and your team have made a tremendous impact on the next few years. If this scheme had been enacted, I'm sure Democrats would have eventually figured out how to counter it, but it's so much better to prevent a problem than to try and fix it after the fact.
YOU ROCK, RACHEL!
Tocqueville (1840: 35) states “rights must be given to each citizen or to no one.”
Thank you...I rest my case! The all or nothing electoral vote steals the voices and votes of most of the "individuals in the congressional districts. I'm glad you quoted Tocqueville since he was a big believer in thwarting the tyranny of the majority especially those centered in the largest population centers/cities. Pure Democracy (rule by the mob) has been the downfall of every republic in history...it's why the founders tried to avoid violence of faction by purposely making near impossible to establish a majority rule anywhere in the government. Originally we couldn't even vote for the Senate...they were appointed by the House...the same House that is Republican today.
Rachel, sincerity is one thing that we can't count on from the Republicans. My sense is that they decided it's too early and it's a mistake to air out their strategy on changing the Electoral College now. It will give the Democrats so much time to defeat their plans. Wait til the election gets closer, this will come up again. Just like how they changed those early voting/voter ID laws shortly before the 2012 elections, remember?