This house would abolish the Electoral College

General rebuttal: There is a better way to attain Pro’s goals than abolishing the EC Pro has an eye toward the popular vote and sees the EC as an impediment. Pro “would amend the United States Constitution to abolish the Electoral College” (resolution) and replace it with a direct election. Supposing for the moment that I shared Pro’s vision of having the popular vote determine the outcome of presidential elections, abolishing the EC isn’t how I would go about attaining that goal because there is a better way. Article 2 of the constitution provides that “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors […]”. [4] “The State legislatures also decide how to allocate the electoral votes within their States. While it is common practice today for States to award all of their electoral votes to one candidate on a winner-take-all basis, they are not required to do so. In Nebraska and Maine, the electoral votes are not awarded entirely on a winner-take-all basis. In those States, the winner of the statewide popular vote is automatically awarded two electoral votes. The remaining electoral votes are earned by winning the popular vote in each of the States’ congressional districts. It is therefore possible for more than one candidate to win votes in the Electoral College in Nebraska and Maine.” [5; pg 6] So, theoretically, a state legislature could instruct all of its electors to cast their votes in favor of the presidential candidate who won the national popular vote. If a sufficient number of state legislatures decided to do that then the outcome of presidential elections would be determined by the popular vote. (Call this “my way” for simplicity’s sake; It’s not really my idea) This would effectively give Pro everything he wants without abolishing the EC and the concomitant burden of amending the constitution. My way is a lot easier than abolishing the EC. My way merely requires a sufficient number of state legislatures to pass bills instructing their electors to cast their votes in favor of the presidential candidate who won the national popular vote. The number of state legislatures required is sufficient when the combined total of their allotted electors amounts to a simple majority within the EC; Currently 270 electors (“270 to win”). As I explained in the prior round, Pro’s way requires “abolishing the EC” which “requires a constitutional amendment” and, beyond that, “such an undertaking requires the consent of two thirds of both houses of Congress or a convention upon the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the states. After that, such an amendment isn’t effective until it’s ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the states or by conventions in three fourths thereof.” That’s substantially more difficult. Clearly, my way is easier. If that doesn’t convince you that my way’s better then what should is the fact that my way is already being implemented by legislatures across this country. The measure is known as the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), [6] and it “has been enacted by 11 jurisdictions possessing 165 electoral votes - 61% of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate it.” [7] My way is already 61% done. Pro would have us to start all over again and abolish the EC using the burdensome amendment process. No. Sources - 2 - https://goo.gl... 4 - https://goo.gl... 5 - http://goo.gl... 6 - https://goo.gl... 7 - http://goo.gl... 8 - https://goo.gl...