April 3, 2019, Washington, DC — As an organization committed to our constitutional system, the separation of powers, and the rule of law, Independent Women’s Forum opposes any and all efforts to eliminate the Electoral College.

NBC News is reporting that Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz is preparing to introduce a constitutional amendment that would mandate selection of the president by national popular vote.

Meanwhile, a stealth and well-financed progressive organization called National Popular Vote has been spearheading an effort to circumvent the Constitution and eliminate the Electoral College through the back door. This group is promoting state legislative measures that would require that all of a state’s electoral ballots to be cast for the winner of the nation’s popular vote — even if a majority of voters in the state supported someone else. So far, 13 states plus the District of Columbia have signed on.

In America, we have never elected our presidents by popular vote. And with good reason. The Framers of our Constitution feared pure democracy, a system Benjamin Franklin once described as “two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for lunch.” The Electoral College helps ensure that the president represents the entire country and must seek voters in the middle, not just from his or her base. In this way, the Electoral College provides a moderating influence, helping to discourage the presidential election from devolving into a popularity contest.

“Sour grapes over the results of the 2016 presidential election are fueling progressive efforts to do away with the Electoral College,” said IWF senior fellow Jennifer C. Braceras. “But it is not clear that this pursuit of power over principle will benefit proponents of the change in the long-run. Short-sighted attempts to rig the system for one side or another will have long-term consequences that we cannot predict. We must not allow those who seek short-term partisan advantage to unravel the delicate balance of our carefully conceived federal system.”

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