Kamala Harris’s running mate urges popular vote system but campaign says issue is not part of Democrats’ agenda

  • @reddig33
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    779 hours ago

    Finally the dems are saying it out loud. They should have been yelling this from the treetops since Bush vs Gore.

    • growsomethinggood ()
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      339 hours ago

      It’s easy to say and harder to do anything about. I believe it would take a constitutional amendment to fix on the national scale, or “opt-in” from enough states on the state level.

      • @[email protected]
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        278 hours ago

        The first step towards change is elevating the conversation to high office, though, so this is something.

      • Rhaedas
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        47 hours ago

        The popular vote contract sounds interesting, but I like ranked voting more because it allows flexibility in sampling the public opinion of who they’d want. Think of any question a poll could ask you where you feel there isn’t a clear yes/no or single answer. Isn’t it better when it allows you to pick from a few choices that together reflect your answer? An election not only could turn out more voters, it could give statistical nuances on how people lean among the ones that voted in the winner. Eg., how many that voted both Democrat candidate as well as certain other parties.

        Just had a thought that we could even see a person vote Democrat and Republican on a ticket. But at least they got their vote in and showed how they’re torn.

        • @[email protected]
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          6 hours ago

          The popular vote contract sounds interesting, but I like ranked voting more

          Those solve two different problems. The first solves the problem of a candidate winning despite having fewer votes; the second solves the spoiler effect.

        • growsomethinggood ()
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          56 hours ago

          Yes, the compact is definitely a way to get around the current system, not to overhaul it (which it desperately needs but would require 2/3 approval instead of >50% of the electoral college). I agree that if we are able to get constitutional amendments on the table, we should be looking at ranked choice or approval voting systems! But one of the big issues right now is unfamiliarity with either of those systems, and a lot of familiarity with popular choice. That’s why it’s so important that the many, many local and statewide initiatives for ranked choice get support!

          • Rhaedas
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            46 hours ago

            Agreed, the more we see ranked choice locally the more support there will be to expand it. Also “easier” to get it changed at that level.

    • @[email protected]
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      26 hours ago

      By 2032 Texas will be a solid swing state and the EC becomes near impossible for the GOP to ever win again

      We can wait them out, and reap the benefits

      • The Snark Urge
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        106 hours ago

        Eight years of right wing malignancy left, may the odds be ever in your favor.

      • @[email protected]
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        46 hours ago

        People argued this idea of a permanent Democratic majority in the 2000s and then again after Obama’s election but it never materialized. GenX, with its liberal sensibilities, the rise of college educations, and increased diversity among the population will make it impossible for Republicans to win. Then GenX got older and more conservative and people realized that minorities and college grads could also be made to hate immigrants and queer people.

        This idea that “just waiting” is all it will take to end conservatism and other bigotries is a fantasy.

        • @[email protected]
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          05 hours ago

          Regardless, the only feasible way to go from the EC to the Popular vote will be if Republicans think they’ve lost the advantage the EC gives them.

      • @njm1314
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        16 hours ago

        I’ve been hearing that for a while. Of course then again the people that said that don’t seem to have an answer for the fact that in 2022 Republicans swept the entire state by like 10 points. So maybe we should stop counting on that.

        • @[email protected]
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          05 hours ago

          Here’s a comparison of Barack Obama’s, Hillary Clinton’s, and Joe Biden’s election results in Texas:

          Election Year Democratic Candidate Vote Percentage Republican Candidate Vote Percentage Margin
          2012 Barack Obama 41.4% Mitt Romney 57.2% 15.8%
          2016 Hillary Clinton 43.2% Donald Trump 52.2% 9.0%
          2020 Joe Biden 46.5% Donald Trump 52.1% 5.6%

          This is the trend