Carter got 50.1 percent of the popular vote, and Ford got 48.0 percent. Proposals to switch to a proportional breakdown have been supported by Presidents Nixon and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as several 1970s measures in Congress and one current measure in Washington state, according to the Center for Voting and Democracy, which supports direct elections. The Electoral College has faced criticism before, most recently with hearings in 1997 and 1992. Many political scientists and lawmakers say the system helps build a national consensus. Some say it protects smaller states from being overwhelmed by large, populous states.
Critics say it leaves many states ignored when the race focuses on large swing states.
Eliminating the college, he said, would strengthen smaller, one-party states that could deliver landslide popular votes. It could also give rise to strong regional candidates and splinter parties that could be spoilers. Too often, people pick what side they're on, and then they advocate the position of the side they're on and they don't notice the costs. The Daily Camera. All rights reserved.