Honor the Framers' Electoral College vision

Published on 09 October 2011

"Honor the Framers' Electoral College vision"

Pittsburgh Tribune Review
10/9/11

By Charlie Greenawalt

Two kinds of majorities are needed to govern in the United States -- a majority of citizens as seen in the Framers' creation of the House of Representatives, and a majority of states, as seen in the creation of the Senate. Power in the new system they created was based on both population and on state sovereignty, a geographic consideration.

Proposal would split Pennsylvania's electoral votes

Published on 16 September 2011

September 16, 2011|MICHELLE GANASSI | Daily American Staff Writer

Most political experts agree that Pennsylvania is a must-win state in the 2012 presidential election.

But a proposal set to go before the state Senate would change the formula for how the state changes to either red or blue.

Republican state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, who represents part of Chester and Delaware counties, is drafting a proposal that would split Electoral College votes in Pennsylvania by congressional district.

Currently whichever presidential candidate wins Pennsylvania receives all of the electoral votes.

Under Pileggi’s proposal each congressional district would represent an Electoral College vote and the final two votes would go to the overall winner. Pennsylvania will have 20 votes in 2012.

Pileggi spokesman Erik Arneson said the system would more fairly allocate Electoral College votes.

In the 2008 election President Barack Obama received 55 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania over Sen. John McCain. If Pileggi’s system was in place Obama would have received 11 electoral votes to McCain’s 10, rather than Obama receiving all 21. In 2008 Obama received 365 electoral votes to McCain’s 173.