The allusion is to the state-level pact several states have made to always assign their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote in their state. With Texas and other flipping, that makes enough states to be over 270 votes, meaning if all those new blue state governments join the compact, the EC essentially doesn’t matter anymore.
And it doesn’t need to include Texas
On Tuesday, Democrats took control of state legislatures and governorships in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada, all states that haven’t agreed to the compact. If all five vote to join, then the total number of electoral votes apportioned based on the national popular vote jumps to 283.
Bad news there I’m afraid, some people think it might even be unconstitutional, but because it’s never triggered it’s never been tested. It’s probably a safe bet that if it ever did trigger the Republicans would set their own children on fire summoning the best lawyers hell can offer.
There is nothing in the Constitution that says how states must choose their electors based on the outcome of the vote, whether it’s by districts or statewide, and it says nothing about how or whether electors are allocated to the runners-up. In fact, it just says it’s up to the states how they conduct their elections. The only requirement (not in the original text of the Constitution for Senators) is that they hold elections.
That might not prevent the Extreme Supremes from making shit up, as they did with presidential immunity, but apart from that kind of fuckery, it should be fine.
I did miss that nuance, but not sure it impacts the ability of the parties to do something this radical.
The allusion is to the state-level pact several states have made to always assign their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote in their state. With Texas and other flipping, that makes enough states to be over 270 votes, meaning if all those new blue state governments join the compact, the EC essentially doesn’t matter anymore.
And it doesn’t need to include Texas
On Tuesday, Democrats took control of state legislatures and governorships in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada, all states that haven’t agreed to the compact. If all five vote to join, then the total number of electoral votes apportioned based on the national popular vote jumps to 283.
I am enlightened! Appreciate the response.
Any thoughts on how binding such a pact is?
Bad news there I’m afraid, some people think it might even be unconstitutional, but because it’s never triggered it’s never been tested. It’s probably a safe bet that if it ever did trigger the Republicans would set their own children on fire summoning the best lawyers hell can offer.
There is nothing in the Constitution that says how states must choose their electors based on the outcome of the vote, whether it’s by districts or statewide, and it says nothing about how or whether electors are allocated to the runners-up. In fact, it just says it’s up to the states how they conduct their elections. The only requirement (not in the original text of the Constitution for Senators) is that they hold elections.
That might not prevent the Extreme Supremes from making shit up, as they did with presidential immunity, but apart from that kind of fuckery, it should be fine.
That kind of fuckery is exactly the problem we’re facing though, which is why this is tenuous.