Ravenwood - 09/13/04 07:15 AM
Colorado voters will have an interesting choice to make in November. A referendum has been placed on the ballot that would apportion the state's electors in relation to the popular vote. It doesn't seem to bother anyone (and probably wouldn't bother an activist judge) that this violates the United States Constitution, which says the Legislature is to decide the manner for appointing electors: (Article 2, Section 1: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors...").
It's interesting to note, that the Legislature doesn't appear to want any part of it. Republicans are blaming Democrats:
Republicans, who hold a 185,000 edge in registered voters over Democrats in Colorado, say the plan is a plot to take the state's nine electoral votes from Bush and give them to Kerry.And, Democrats are blaming Republicans:
"Many Democrats feel this state is in play and this is a state we can win. They think this is a way to give George Bush four electoral votes in Colorado," [State Democratic Party chairman Chris] Gates said.But if the voters of Colorado are stupid enough to follow through on this plan, they will serve only to remove themselves from the electoral process altogether.
Katy Atkinson, a GOP pollster, said Colorado could end up always splitting its votes 5-4, in effect giving it one electoral vote. That would make the state a political backwater no candidate would waste time visiting.I know, Atkinson is a "GOP pollster", but she is speaking the truth. We've already seen where Kerry has written off campaigning in states like Virginia because it is a waste of time and money. If the most you could get was one net electoral vote from Colorado, they are pretty much ensuring that both candidates will write them off every single year.
It is false assumption that the candidates won't compete for less than all of a state's electoral votes. That is propaganda coming from Governor Owens. The 2000 election was decided by just 5 electoral votes. No one can convince me that candidates won't compete for a 2-3 vote margin in Colorado, which could mean anywhere from a 4-6 vote swing in an election. Moreover, this state is solidly red, so we have almost never been a swing state. As a sitting president, Bill Clinton could not win here against the pathetic Dole campaign. The only Dem to win in Colorado in decades was Clinton in '92, and he can thank Ross Perot for that. Perot took over 23% that year in Colorado. And with Kerry losing Colorado outside the margin of error now, it's not looking good for him either. Simply put, it is time for every single Colorado voter to go to the polls knowing that their vote will truly be counted and reflected in our electoral votes. It's the right thing for Colorado voters.
Posted by: Bobby Clark at September 13, 2004 6:46 PMBobby,
It sounds like a noble cause, but making your state have 2-3 effective electoral votes is not much better than one electoral vote. Even the District of Columbia has 3 electoral votes. Why spend money in Colorado wooing voters when it gets you nothing? All you are doing is dilluting you vote.
As for having your popular vote "reflected" in the electoral college, you are coming out on the side of majority rule. True democracy does not work, and majority rule is just another form of tyranny. How would you like it if your career choices or whom you marry was decided by majority rule? I'm guessing that is probably a decision you would want to make yourself.
Nothing good can come from this. When the law of unintended consequences kicks in, don't come crying to me.
Posted by: Ravenwood at September 13, 2004 10:31 PM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
