One Person-No Vote Part 2: No Red or Blue States

Dandelion at Tin Horn Ranch, California - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

In 1804 the Twelfth Amendment was ratified and established the process by which the President is chosen. It superseded Article II, Section I of the Constitution which also provided for indirect election of the President by the College of Electors. The prevailing political climate in the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was rife with mistrust among the thirteen states which varied substantially in population and size. The country's four million inhabitants were spread widely with poor transportation and communication networks making presidential campaigning virtually impossible. There was a great distrust of political parties and for the tendency of voters to support men from their home states rather than the most qualified candidates.

The Constitution and the Twelfth Amendment established and reaffirmed the process of the Electoral College to avoid these pitfalls by devising a system where theoretically the most knowledgeable citizens from each state chose the President on his ability rather than his political party or state of residence. Perhaps this argument held sway at the time of the founding fathers, but monumental, unanticipated changes have occurred in the United States in the 200+ years since the Twelfth Amendment became the law of the land.

If one examines the number of people who voted for either Obama or McCain in each state in 2008, 7.2 million voted for Obama in California – the largest block in the country. The second largest block was the Texas vote for McCain – 4.47 million. A close third was the California vote for McCain – 4.43 million. Neither candidate spent much time during the campaign in California or Texas, since Obama's victory was assured in the former and McCain's in the latter. Across the country only the votes of about fifteen swing states drew the candidates' attention. Both Democratic and Republican voters in the remaining states were ignored; their only duty was to perform as the pollsters dictated. Obama won the election by a 53% to 46% popular vote margin, but a 68% to 32% Electoral College advantage. In the states won by McCain 15.8 million voted for Obama. Whereas 35.1 million voted for McCain in states won by Obama, but in the winner-take-all format of the Electoral College the margin of victory expanded from 7% to 36%

The considerations which fostered the Twelfth Amendment are no longer valid. Ours is a twenty first century country with extensive communication and transportation systems. Candidates can make appearances in Maine in the morning and in Arizona later the same day. The only similarity between the United States now and two hundred years ago is the mutual distrust of our politicians. One person-one vote is the standard by which all leaders but the President and Vice President are elected. No voter should be marginalized due to place of residence.

The repeal of the arcane Electoral College as a method of electing Presidents is decades overdue. Utilizing the popular vote encourages political parties to disseminate their message and bring their campaign to all regions of the country. It allows all fifty states to elect the President rather than the swing states whose power is magnified unnaturally by the current method of voting. No more Red States or Blue States on election night - the only numbers that matter are the final tally of the popular vote.