To: The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate, and Governor Tom Wolf
Don't rig presidential elections by changing the Electoral College
I urge you to reject the Corbett Scheme to change the way Electoral College votes are allocated in Pennsylvania. Do not vote to change the Electoral College to make it even less representative of the will of the people than it already is.
Why is this important?
You know you’re out there when Paul Ryan thinks your idea is wrong. But Tom Corbett and his Republican allies in the PA legislature appear to be moving ahead with their idea to change the way we hold presidential elections.
Corbett’s idea is to allocate PA’s Electoral College votes by percentage instead of winner-take-all. Using this formula, the 2012 results would have given the GOP (Romney/Ryan) 8 votes to 12 from PA for the Democrat (Obama/Biden).
At first glance this might sound like a more fair system, but it would only work if all states had the same system. But the only states considering the Corbett Scheme are states where President Obama won, and where Republicans control the state government--Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If the Corbett’s Scheme had been in place last year in these states, we would have a President Romney who won only 47% of the vote.
How unfair is this plan? Even Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) opposes it, even though he would be Vice President today if it had passed last year.
Corbett’s idea is to allocate PA’s Electoral College votes by percentage instead of winner-take-all. Using this formula, the 2012 results would have given the GOP (Romney/Ryan) 8 votes to 12 from PA for the Democrat (Obama/Biden).
At first glance this might sound like a more fair system, but it would only work if all states had the same system. But the only states considering the Corbett Scheme are states where President Obama won, and where Republicans control the state government--Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If the Corbett’s Scheme had been in place last year in these states, we would have a President Romney who won only 47% of the vote.
How unfair is this plan? Even Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) opposes it, even though he would be Vice President today if it had passed last year.