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Pileggi, 12 Co-Sponsors, Introduce Electoral College Bill

Dominic PileggiApparently undeterred by liberal outrage on the subject, State Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware) has introduced a bill to change the way Pennsylvania allocates its electoral college votes in presidential elections.

It’s the official legislative version of the plan the Republican floated in December. It was referred to the State Government Committee on Feb. 21.

Instead of the current, winner take all system, candidates would win votes proportional with their performance in the state’s popular vote. The overall winner would win an additional 2 votes.

Like Republicans in several other states including Michigan and Virginia, Pileggi  backed away from an earlier iteration of his proposal; congressional districts would have no role in the proposed system.

Each electoral vote would correspond with 5.6% of the total popular vote in Pa., putting a presidential vote within reach for third party candidates here.

Had Pileggi’s plan been in place in November, Barack Obama would have won 12 votes to Mitt Romney’s 8 – thus reducing the Democrat’s net gain in Pa. from 20 to 4. It’s for that reason that Democrats from Harrisburg to DC have lambasted the proposal as a power grab by the GOP. Though in control of the levers of state government, Republicans haven’t won a presidential contest in Pa. since 1988.

The bill is co-sponsored by 12 Senate Republicans, including several from southeastern Pa. who are likely Democratic targets in 2014: Senate Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, Rich Alloway, Pat Browne, John Eichelberger, Ted Erickson, Mike Folmer, Stewart Greenleaf, Robert Mensch, John Rafferty, Tommy Tomlinson, Kim Ward and Gene Yaw.

Without corresponding action from House Republicans and Governor Corbett, the bill is unlikely to move. But, given that House Rs and the Guv have expressed support for the congressional electoral plan, it’s not impossible.

PAGOP Chairman Rob Gleason has voiced opposition to the plan.

Pileggi spokesman Erik Arneson reiterated that the bill was intended to generate discussion and was not a top priority for Senate Republicans.

He said that the committee would hold a public hearing before any vote is held, and said no such hearing is presently on the schedule.

11 Responses

  1. How is it fair if Philly. Pittsburgh, Erie, A-town. and Scranton residents are the only ones to count? The decision to give population centers less weight makes sense so all locations are more equally represented. Our State is too big to assume the opinions of the population centers are the only ones to count. Currently we have 20 electors, one for each member of the House plus 2 for our Senators. Would it not be more fair if each elector represented the wishes of the people of his or her House district with the 2 Senatorial Electors representing the wishes of the State as a whole? Would it not be more fair to split our electoral votes? As it currently stands, Independents and Republicans don’t feel like their votes even count in presidential elections because the Democrats hold the Population Centers with such an Iron Fist. That’s what we’re really talking about here too, Presidential Elections. Presidents need to represent all the people, not just those who live in Population Centers. If this was done Nationwide, It would force more compromise. Third Party candidates would have a greater say about the direction of government and just maybe more people would get involved in this country’s political direction.

  2. My only nudge to PoliticsPa on this topic would be you that do not have to be a liberal to think that stealing votes through gerrymandering is wrong.

  3. This is unbelievable; Pileggi can take the bill and shove it up his rear. What the GOP state legislatures have tried to do with abortion rights across the country is bad enough (i.e. trans-vaginal ultrasounds and personhood amendments); now they’re trying to cheat the system cause they’ve realized it’s not working for them. Absolutely shameful.

  4. The Republicans should be careful of what they wish for. What will they say when a Republican like Chris Christie wins the popular vote in PA, but loses the presidency, because they decided to play games with the Electoral College?

  5. Elections have consequences…this is why republicans must be defeated in the Senate and Governor Corbett must go down. It is also why judicial elections are very important and Dems must get out the vote.
    If the State Senate Campaign Committee had focused on defeating Pileggi and not left it up the worthless County Chairs in the district Pileggi would have been defeated.

  6. What a political moron. Did he not see the voter backlash against Voter ID last November? Or does he think Dems and Independents were just totally in love with Obama? Not hardly, Einstein. He goes ahead with this lunacy, and Republicans will be driven out of Harrisburg for decades to come. This guy rivals “I’m Always Wrong” Karl Rove as Dumbest Politician of the Century!

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