Meek backs popular vote bill


Jerry MeekJerry Meek is backing the national popular vote.

The N.C. Democratic Party chairman has endorsed the idea of electing the president by popular vote by essentially abolishing the Electoral College, according to an e-mail from the National Popular Vote group.

Meek said a national popular vote would increase grassroots involvement, boost voter registration and improve voter turnout — three trends North Carolina witnessed during the recent Democratic primary — and that would be a good thing for the political process regardless of which party you support.

The e-mail also notes that Meek said the National Popular Vote bill in the legislature would be consistent with national party chairman Howard Dean's "50-state strategy" and make every state a battleground state.

The bill is currently on hold in a committee, so Meek's statement could be a signal that state Democrats are seriously considering it even though there are signs that North Carolina may be a battleground state this year.

The legislation would enter North Carolina into a compact to pledge its electors to the popular vote winner. It would only take effect once enough states signed to award the presidency.

North Carolina is uniquely positioned to pass the bill. Though it's gone for the Republican presidential candidate every year since 1976, the majority of both chambers and the governor are Democrats.

Last August, legislators considered divvying up the state's electors by Congressional districts.

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Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

The purpose of the electors was to stop a popular vote from taking place. The general population wasn't smart enough to choose the President then, and in 2008 I don't think anything has changed... Barack Obama was chosen as the Democrat nominee, do we need any further evidence?

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that needs to be changed in order to have a national popular vote for President. The winner-take-all rule (awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most votes inside the state) is not in the U.S. Constitution. It is strictly a matter of state law. The winner-take-all rule was not the choice of the Founding Fathers, as indicated by the fact that the winner-take-all rule was used by only 3 states in the nation's first presidential election in 1789. The fact that Maine and Nebraska currently award electoral votes by congressional district is another reminder that the Constitution left the matter of awarding electoral votes to the states. All the U.S. Constitution says is "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors." The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly characterized the authority of the states over the manner of awarding their electoral votes as "plenary" and "exclusive." A federal constitutional amendment is not needed to change state laws.

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

The raping of our Constitution continues... can we send these guys to Cuba?

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

To be involved in the National Popular Vote bill effort . . .

Make Your Vote for President in North Carolina Count as Much as a Vote in Ohio or Florida. Add Your Voice. Sign the Petition at http://NationalPopularVoteNC.com/

Join today's live blog conversation at 3:00 p.m. with Dr. John Koza, the founder of the National Popular Vote organization and Matt Gross, who paved the way for bloggers in politics in the work he did for Howard Dean, Erskine Bowles and John Edwards and their campaigns.
http://bluenc.com/live-blog-on-national-popular-vote-with-matt-gross-and-dr.-john-koza-today

Sign up to get email updates - http://www.NationalPopularVote.com/pages/getemailupdates.php

Help get the word out and show your support.

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Distribute literature at political, civic, or other meeting, convention, or conference.
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Please include a link to the National Popular Vote web site by including something like "See http://www.NationalPopularVote.com"

Up-to-date information and materials are at http://www.NationalPopularVote.com/pages/explanation.php

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

I was just pointing out the problem with this position within the Dem primary. This is a terrible and deeply flawed way to go...

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

kimkim, you'd also have to ignore the voters in the caucus states for that to hold true.

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

Terrible idea for many reasons.

I guess Meek wants Hillary to be the Dem nominee for President since she did win the popular vote in the Dem primary. (If you count Michigan and Florida)

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

its the NC 'democrat' PARTY - NOTHING 'democratic' about your peeps, Jerry!

Re: Meek backs popular vote bill

This bill completely disregards the intent of North Carolina voters in the presidential election. I'm not saying that NC's popular vote could NEVER affect the final vote (2000, 2004), but, usually, the "winner" would remain the same if you took us out of the mix. So, essentially, this bill seems to cast our electoral votes to the rest of the country instead of casting those votes based on NC votes.

I'm a Democrat, and I think this is a terrible, no good, horrible, bad idea. If people are looking for Electoral College reform, I would suggest a bill that would proportionally allot our state's electoral votes...one votes per district and two votes reflecting the state-wide vote. This better reflects the intent of NC voters...