Evening star., 1948-05-19
Changing Our Elective System
Proposed Amendment Would Eliminate Present Fractc
of Political Bidding for Minority Groups
By Chalmers M. Roberts
Second of T,po Articles)

If the Lodge-Gossett amendment to the
Constitution, to end the electoral college sys-
tenn of naming the President, is adopted, the
favoritism now shown the small States of the
Union will nonetheless be preserved.
That favoritism comes about through the
manner in which State is assigned its elec-
toral vote. Each State has members in the
House Of Representatives in accordance with
its population, no State having less than one.
To this each State adds two electoral votes,
representing the two members each has in
the Senate.
Thus our least populous State, Nevada. now
has three electoral votes for its one Represent
ative and two Senators. New York, most pop
ulous, has Al for IS Representatives and two
Senator'S. Therefore in Nevada one electoral
vote represents just under $1,000 persons while
in New York one electoral vote represents just
under $4,000 persons. To capture an electoral
vote in New York, then, takes more than twice
as many popular votes all other things being
equal.
This bonus system for the small States, part
Of the original deal in setting up our Constitu-
ton and solving the large VS.. small State con-
troversy, is still maintained under the proposed
Lodge-Gossett amendment.
The difference is that to get all of Nevadas
three or New Yorks 81 electoral votes, presi-
dental candidate also would have to get all Of
the popular votes in either State
Example in 1914 Election.
The 1914 election returns from New York
State form good example:
Roosevelt received 1904, ,238 votes to 2,987,-
CAT for Dewey. Under the electoral college,
winner -take-all system, all At of New York's
electoral votes went to FDR.
What would have happened if the Lodge
Gossett amendment had been in effect in 1914?
Roosevelt and Dewey would have divided the
New York State electoral vote just as they
divided the popular vote. CThe fact that a
big chunk of the Roosevelt vote was registered
under the American Labor and Liberal Party
banners would make no difference) The
division, figured to the third decimal point as
called for in the amendment, would have been:
Roosevelt, 24.5s4; Dewey, 2222s.
In Nevada, the division Of the three electoral
votes would have been: Roosevelt, 1888;
Dewey, 1851.
Nationally, the totals, eliminating the frac-
tions, would have been: Roosevelt, 300; Dewey,
223. AS they actually were counted, the elec-
toral votes were divided 432 for Roosevelt and
80 for Dewey. Roosevelt would have been
elected, of course, under either system, assum-
ing the same number of votes were cast in
But the story in New York has not always
been that simple.
In 1884 when Grover Cleveland was opposing
James G. Blaine, Cleveland received 5630S4
votes in New York State to 562001 for Blaine,
a difference Of only 1888 votes. A change Of
less than 600, therefore, would have thrown
New Yorks entire electoral vote to Blaine.
Because everything in that election depended
on New York's electoral vote Blaine instead
of Cleveland, would have been elected Presi-
dent.
The House Judiciary Committee report on
the Gossett amendment identical to the one
sponsored by Senator Lodge comments in
these words
Should similar situation again arise as
well it might, the Communist Party in the
State of New York alone could determine who
was to be President of the United States"
The comment on the possible influence Of
the Communists is particularly pertinent in