Should the Electoral College be abolished?

[Bo]

No

[You kip if you want to...]

Yes. Switch to direct popular vote, or do run-offs should any candidate not get 50%+1 of the vote.

[Vepres]

No, I like our unique federalist system.

[War on Want]

No, I like our unique federalist system.

Just because it is unique, doesn't mean it is superior.

[Vepres]

No, I like our unique federalist system.

Just because it is unique, doesn't mean it is superior.

The "I like" implies there are other things I like about it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Due to the complicated constitutional structure of the Labour Party I don't see what the alternative is. Trade Unions founded and fund the Party so they ought to have a say, but there are literally millions more political-levy paying members of Labour-affiliated Unions than there are actual Party members, which would mean that actual membership would become greatly devalued. Then you have the issue of the PLP; however easy it might be to get support for devaluing the role of MPs right now, a Leader without a big following in the PLP would have serious problems.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Heaven's, no. A pure popular vote system would have infinitely more potential problems than the electoral college.

[Free Palestine]

Not sure.  I think the electoral college could be reformed, in order to make it much more fair.  First, have the electoral vote based on congressional district, like in Nebraska and Maine.  Then, increase the number of congressional districts.  Or perhaps make it sort of like PR, where if you get a certain percentage, you get a certain number of electors.  For example, a candidate in California can win an elector if he or she wins 1.8% of the vote, or something.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Not sure.  I think the electoral college could be reformed, in order to make it much more fair.  First, have the electoral vote based on congressional district, like in Nebraska and Maine.  Then, increase the number of congressional districts.

I'm not sure how the system would work out with the second reform in mind, since that's impossible to speculate on, but a system based purely off congressional districts individually as the system stands now would be incredibly undemocratic. (Much more so than some would accuse the current system of being.)

[Free Palestine]

Not sure.  I think the electoral college could be reformed, in order to make it much more fair.  First, have the electoral vote based on congressional district, like in Nebraska and Maine.  Then, increase the number of congressional districts.

I'm not sure how the system would work out with the second reform in mind, since that's impossible to speculate on, but a system based purely off congressional districts individually as the system stands now would be incredibly undemocratic. (Much more so than some would accuse the current system of being.)

See the edited version of my post.

[Lief 🗽]

But then how would we discuss with maps?

[dead0man]

No.

[War on Want]

No, I like our unique federalist system.

Just because it is unique, doesn't mean it is superior.

The "I like" implies there are other things I like about it.

What is there to like about it?

[Vepres]

No, I like our unique federalist system.

Just because it is unique, doesn't mean it is superior.

The "I like" implies there are other things I like about it.

What is there to like about it?

It preserves federalism, it creates the need for candidates' supporters to be geographically diverse, it decentralizes voting regulations, it is simpler, it avoids chaos if the popular vote is close, it gives the winner a much clearer mandate.

[Хahar 🤔]

Due to the complicated constitutional structure of the Labour Party I don't see what the alternative is. Trade Unions founded and fund the Party so they ought to have a say, but there are literally millions more political-levy paying members of Labour-affiliated Unions than there are actual Party members, which would mean that actual membership would become greatly devalued. Then you have the issue of the PLP; however easy it might be to get support for devaluing the role of MPs right now, a Leader without a big following in the PLP would have serious problems.

How is the electoral college composed at present?

[The Mikado]

Due to the complicated constitutional structure of the Labour Party I don't see what the alternative is. Trade Unions founded and fund the Party so they ought to have a say, but there are literally millions more political-levy paying members of Labour-affiliated Unions than there are actual Party members, which would mean that actual membership would become greatly devalued. Then you have the issue of the PLP; however easy it might be to get support for devaluing the role of MPs right now, a Leader without a big following in the PLP would have serious problems.

I, too, enjoy willfully misinterpreting thread titles. 

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How is the electoral college composed at present?

One third to CLPs, one third to the PLP and one third to Affiliates. PLP also includes MEPs (but, not, unless my memory is wrong, MSPs or AMs... but they do count in elections for Leader of the Scottish and Welsh parties). Affiliates isn't just Trade Unions - also included are Socialist Societies such as the Co-operative Party and the Fabian Society - but in practice is, due to sheer weight of numbers. In the 1980s things were a little differet; the EC was weighted in favour of the Affliliates and the vote of Affiliates was cast by block vote*, rather than OMOV. Which was controversial. Before the 1980s, the Leader was elected by the PLP only. Which was controversial. Amusingly, the votes of the Affiliates and the PLP have a habit of going the same way; it's the Party Members who're well to the left of the rest, not the levy-paying Trade Unionists.

*That is, the General Secretary of the Union (or whatever) casts his vote on behalf of his members. They usually voted the way their members wanted them to, but block voting was (infamously) abused by the Left-dominated leadership of the T&GWU in the Healey v Benn cagefight.

I, too, enjoy willfully misinterpreting thread titles. 

[Хahar 🤔]

How do the other parties do it? I know the Tories didn't have any mechanism at all for a long time.

Also, how does the selection process work for PPCs? I've never quite understood that.

[Colin]

Due to the complicated constitutional structure of the Labour Party I don't see what the alternative is. Trade Unions founded and fund the Party so they ought to have a say, but there are literally millions more political-levy paying members of Labour-affiliated Unions than there are actual Party members, which would mean that actual membership would become greatly devalued. Then you have the issue of the PLP; however easy it might be to get support for devaluing the role of MPs right now, a Leader without a big following in the PLP would have serious problems.

See, this is the type of thing that makes me happy to be back on the forum.

As for the question at hand, yes I think the US Electoral College should be abolished. A straight national popular vote isn't the best system by any stretch of the imagination but its a better option than we currently have.

[MasterJedi]

No, keep it.