Evening star., 1952-11-09

There is no way to evaluate such
result except to admit that voter
in politically Connecticut
has only one-fifth the say in a ma
.tional election that an Arkansan has.
Likewise. Stevenson got IA votes az
result of 100000 popular votes cast
Tor him in North Carolina, whilo;
eisenhower got only 13 votes for
about 100000 popular ballots in his
favor in Missouri.
Lodges Plan
The electoral college reform idea
that seems to make the most sense
from a practical political standpoint
is that perennially sponsored by SEN
ator Lodge, Republican, of Massacl1u.
sets. Some one else will have to
sponsor it next time, since Lodge
lost last week. It has died in a
number Of Congresses, the last being
the 82d. But it always crops up
again. When last heard. the proposal
stacked up this way:
The electoral-vote system would
be retained. but the electoral college
would be scrapped. ct doesn't really
exist, anyway The provision that
the plurality candidate in a State
gets all that States electoral votes
would oe done away with. In its
place, there would be system
whereby each contestant would get
that proportion of the States
electoral vote equal to his share of
the States popular vote. This would
be figured down to the thousandth
of percentage point, or even closer
if necessary. The candidate with the
most electoral votes would be de-
clared President, provided he polled
at least 40 per cent of the total vote.
Reform Plan ot Work )
How would this have worked in
last weeks election?
Eisenhower polled roughly 551s per
cent Of the popular vote and got
slightly more than 80 per cent of the
electoral vote. The spread was, as
every one now knows. 442 to 80.
Under the Lodge plan. Eisenhowers
share of the 531-yote melon would
have been roughly 290, and Steven-
sons 241. This would have given
Eisenhower 54l2 per cent of the
electoral vote, far more just share
in proportion to his popular majority
than the five-sixths he received under
the existing law.
AS to specific examples, Eisenhower
would not have received the entire
45-vote total Of New York, but would
have been given about 25A votes to
19% for Stevenson. And by the same
token, Stevenson would have had to
share South Carolina's eight with
Ike, taking Ala for himself and leav-
ing 3.86 for the general.
Wide Opposition
Opposition to the Lodge idea is en-
countered in so many quarters that
the prospect of its adoption seems
dim. Many Northern Democrats op-
pose 1t because they think it would
magnify the South's Importance in
party circles. But Republicans, who
would like to latch on to a chunk
OF the South's electoral vote, fear
the amendment for quite another
reason. In 1948, Dewey soueaked
through In New York with q bare
10000 plurality over Truman and got
o whopping AZ votes. Under the re.
vised system. Dewey would have re-
ceived only 21.761 votes. leaving
21.338 for Truman and 3.9Ol for WAL
lace. These are only two of the oppo.
sition views. but give an idea of the
opposition's scope.
Nothing is likely to come of any
very revolutionary scheme to revise
our vote-tallying practices. OF all
the plans, the Lodge idea is the le9st
revolutionary. After a brief pause to,
ascertain how Our Side would have
done last week under the Lodge plan.
the political alignment pro or con the
electoral revision can be expected to
take shape.