Andrew Yang Policy on PROPORTIONAL SELECTION OF ELECTORS

[Sherman A1]

The electoral college is an important system that ensures the will of the larger, more populous areas of the country aren’t the only focus of nationwide elections. It’s also enshrined in the Constitution.

Constant calls to change the electoral college after a popular vote win/electoral college loss can seem like sour grapes, and the attempt to abolish it would require a constitutional amendment that could be stopped by 13 states.

Attempts to change the electoral college through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact are also unlikely to be successful. The 189 electoral votes currently pledged to the compact (70%) can seem close to the necessary 270 to effectively get rid of the electoral college, but looking at the remaining states leaves one wondering which are likely to sign on. Even the states that have already signed are precarious – the next election could see new elected officials who withdraw from the compact.

There are, without a doubt, problems with the electoral college. Candidates can win the presidency while losing the popular vote, theoretically by quite a bit. It causes a few “swing” states to be the focus of presidential elections. It depresses voter turnout in states that are securely blue or red.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/proportional-electors/

[PoliticAverse]

1. The roadblock to proportional selection is what incentive is there for a majority political party...

in a state (whose presidential candidate would likely get all the electoral votes from the state) to go to a proportional method that would give some votes to the candidate of the other party.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Nonsense

Get rid of the damned thing entirely.

[Hortensis]

3. Any change that is achievable short term is worth discussing.

My question is how could this be rigged to benefit one party over another and how concreted in would it be? Swinging whole states would be more difficult than congressional districts in redistricting years, but it could be done.

Personally, after 2016 especially I'd like to see our electoral college whipped out of town, the last excuse for its existence betrayed, but we're stuck with it for now.