I think we need to revamp the system by which we elect Presidents.
First and foremost we need to change the number of electoral votes to an odd number. Having the possibility of a tie (269 to 269) is just stupid.
Secondly, we need to expand the requirements to become President Elect from a simple majority of the electoral college (currently 270) to also include a plurality of the popular vote (more votes than anyone else on the ballot nationwide). In this day and age, the will of the people can be known well before the mid-December deadline. If there is a disagreement between the electoral college winner and the popular vote winner, the parameters of the 12 amendment kick in to decide who is the President-elect.
Lastly, the scheduling of state primaries to award delegates is mind bogglingly idiotic. Iowa or South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada…these 3 states get to weed out a very high percentage of candidates before larger populations get to weigh in on their efficacy. What I propose is not one super Tuesday but five of them involving 9-11 states each.
On the 2nd Tuesday in January, February, March, April and May have 9-11 states go to the polls at once. Have the 2nd Tuesday in June as a stand-by in case there are states who couldn’t hold the elections on schedule due to blizzards, tropical storms, etc… Just as an example… (remember this is for the primaries)
January: ME, NH, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ, PA, DE
February: WA, CA, OR, HI, AK, AZ, NV, ID, UT, MT, WY, NM
March: FL, GA, SC, NC, MD, VA, WVA, KY, TN, AL, MS
April: TX, AR, OK, CO, KS, NE, ND, SD, LA,
May; IL, MN, WI, MI, OH, IN, IA, MO,
States with over 10M in population are listed in bold. You spread out the votes between urban and rural, between large cities and small towns, between industrial and agrarian, between coastal (when you can) and landlocked. Candidates no longer have to jump through hoops to please a single demographic and can play to their strengths.
