Another Karl Rove Playbook in California

Now Republicans are planning to put a proposition that would apportion California’s 53 electoral votes in presidential elections by Congressional district – rather than a “winner-take-all” system used in 48 states. While at first this doesn’t sound bad, if passed it could help elect a Republican President – even if a Democrat wins the popular vote. There are a lot of ways to fix the Electoral College, but unilateral action by California to change the system will only play into right-wing hands.

I’ve known about this measure for a while, but I’ve avoided discussing it because I generally agree with the principle. It is fundamentally unfair that a plurality of a state’s residents can award all of its Electoral Votes to one candidate. If you’re a black person in Mississippi who votes Democrat, you have no say in the presidential election. A strong majority of your white neighbors vote Republican every time – which guarantees the state’s electoral votes to the G.O.P.

The problem with this measure is that California – and only California – would shift from a “winner-take-all” system to having its Electoral Votes apportioned by Congressional District. I might support it if it was done nationwide, so that Democratic voters in red states like Texas could have their votes counted in the presidential election. But under the June ballot proposal, only California Republicans – and no other minority groups – would benefit. That’s unfair, when the Electoral College is ultimately a number’s game that adds up every state's votes.

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