Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America

Rating:
Summary: Excellent analysis, wrong prescription
Review: Edwards provides a lucid, devastating critique of the Electoral College and its negative impact on American politics and government. After reading this book it will be hard for people to keep a straight face when defenders of this 18th century institution make such outmoded arguments as "candidates will spend time only in population centers" (as if they don't focus all their energies right now on just a handful of states and as if candidates in all races for governor don't try to win votes wherever they are in a state).

My one disappointment is his recommendation that we enshire the principle of "plurality rule" when directly electing the president. That would mean we could have presidents elected with less than 30% of the vote and would maintain the "spoiler" dynamic for any independent and third party candidate trying to offer new ideas to voters. Far better would be to establish a 50%-plus-one majority requirement as proposed by Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and groups like FairVote-The Center for Voting and Democracy -- or at the very least leave it to Congress to decide by statute.

But Edwards' book should help re-start a national conversation about changing the Electoral College -- which as recently in 1969 came close to being abolished after the House voted by a 4-to-1 margin to go to direct election.