California recently passed a law committing the state to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which will dedicate California’s electoral college votes to the national popular vote winner in presidential elections. The passage of the law makes California the eighth state to agree to the compact, joining seven other states and the District of Columbia in a movement to effectively sideline the electoral college. This is a good development for those of you who were upset by the 2000 election in which Al Gore won the popular vote, but due to the somewhat undemocratic nature of the electoral college, George W. Bush was handed the presidency.
We are now looking at the possibility of a system where all votes for the presidential election are counted equally. If enough states follow, the electoral college may become a formality as opposed to an election-influencing institution. With it out of the picture, there will be no more undue focus on swing states, no more elections where the popular candidate loses, and hopefully no more electoral decision-making by the least democratic institution in our government, the Supreme Court.
Exciting, right? Well, don’t get too excited yet. The addition of California brings the current total to 132 votes, but it will require 270 electoral votes for the compact to change the way our system works, and it doesn’t appear that enough states will sign on in time for the 2012 election. Regardless, it is a step in the right direction, and there appears to be broad support from the entire political spectrum for such a change.
According to a Washington Post public opinion poll, Democrats, Republicans and Independents all support a direct popular vote for the presidential election, with 78 percent, 60 percent and 73 percent approving, respectively. Yet interestingly enough, New Jersey is the only state currently supporting the compact that has a Republican governor, and none of these supporting states have primarily Republican legislatures.
In the wake of the 2000 election, it seems obvious that Democratic states would be the primary supporters of the NPVIC. But such a measure would not severely tip the electoral balance, partially indicated by New Jersey Gov. Christie’s approval. Rather, it will increase voter equality in our most important election and put an end to a politically irrelevant institution.
In contrast, primarily Republican states appear to be going in the exact opposite direction. Texas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina and South Carolina have all recently implemented laws that impose much stricter voting requirements. In these states, voters are now required to have a current state ID to vote in addition to the required voter registration card.
The reasoning Republicans implemented this new requirement is that it will help to prevent voter fraud. In reality, voter fraud is a statistically rare and insignificant occurrence. It appears that the Republican legislators that have passed and are working to pass these measures are battling an imaginary enemy. And the more you look into the situation, the more their quixotic quests seem extremely self-serving.
These new voter requirements disproportionately affect constituencies that typically vote Democratic, including youth, minority, poor and elderly voters. According to studies by the Advancement Project, approximately 11 percent of American citizens lack a current government photo ID. Percentages are higher among the previously specified groups: 20 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds, 25 percent of African Americans, 15 percent of those who make under $35k annually and 18 percent of senior citizens are without a current government-issued photo ID. If statistics are to be trusted, the restrictive voter laws pushed by Republicans will only serve to suppress voting and decrease voter equality. It seems that no realm of policy is safe from political polarization.
Steven Monacelli is a Communication junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
