PROPOSAL: Use of Electors in Sub-Presidential Races

Author: Swagnarok

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Swagnarok
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This is a proposal for how the electoral system in the US may be amended, allowing for a breakup of the two-party system.

It is centered around this premise: that there should be an additional step between the ballot and swearing in of elected officials. A step akin to that which the President must already go through: the electoral count.

Scenario A: Say, for example, that the fictional U.S. state of Transylvania is trying to elect a Senator. This is a true purple state, where Dems and Republicans are in a neck-to-neck race. Republicans are united. Dems, however, are very unsatisfied with their incumbent candidate, a man with a corruption scandal under his belt and a track record for not voting consistently for "the cause". If they stay home on election day, or vote third party, then the Republican guy wins. And so, they suck it up and vote for a candidate that only 26 percent of the state's voting population is enthusiastic about. Even if he wins, it's dubious to what extent the people he represents won.

Scenario B: Same state, same Senate race. But that 48 percent of Dems who don't like the incumbent candidate for their party has another recourse: form their own party with their own favored candidate and vote for it.
What will this accomplish? Well, obviously they won't be able to win the election hands-down. But their minority share of the vote, instead of being wasted, now designates them electors. As for winning, neither can the incumbent, with almost half of "his" votes now in the hands of another party and its candidate. So now they need to decide: which one of the two candidates gets awarded all those votes? If the third party holds its ground and refuses to budge, it has a chance of eventually compelling his electors to switch sides. After all, if it's the candidate you don't want for the party that you want VERSUS 6 years of the seat being held by the party you don't want, then it's a compromise most people would be willing to make.

Thoughts?
Greyparrot
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Seems like the SCOTUS would have to rule on that. Might need a constitutional amendment.
n8nrgim
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there's also rank method voting, and approval rating method voting. electors throws in a wild card, id rather the election be based on the actual votes, not electors. i haven't taken the time to fully consider this elector method, though. 
Sidewalker
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All you would need to do is get 2/3 of both houses to vote to amend the constitution in order to "allow for a breakup of the two-party system".  I'm sure 2/3 of our Senators and Congressmen would be selfless enough to vote to abolish the system that put them in office.   
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Some one doesn’t know how to amend the Constitution ^^
Swagnarok
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@Sidewalker
States have a considerable deal of leeway in how state elections, including those for federal offices like a Congressional seat, are conducted. I would assume that any state is free to implement the changes I proposed here, unless there's some specific constitutional reason why they cannot.

Hence, all you'd have to do is quietly campaign for this at the state government level, no Congressional support needed.
Best.Korea
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@Swagnarok
You are very smart for a republican. Of course, I believe in democracy. The more democracy the better.

If you dont like democracy, feel free to move to one of these countries: Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan...
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@Best.Korea
Also Ukraine, where you are not allowed to vote for the president anymore.

Zelensky's approval rating dropped over 20 points after he declared an end to elections. It's a real head scratcher why the people would react that way.
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@Greyparrot
Yes, Ukraine is a bad country too.

Savant
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@Swagnarok
Sounds similar to a parliamentary system. Most use list-PR.
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@Savant
Parliamentary system is the most superior form of democracy. 

Just instead of one president, you have 300 of them.

300 heads are smarter than one.
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@Swagnarok
Thoughts?
Electors presents a needlessly complicated aspect to elections and leaves room for all kinds of shananigans. Rank choice voting is by far the best solution, it just seems that the electorate is not sophisticated enough to handle it.

Honestly I find any talk about amending the constitution to make voting more fair to be a futile effort. People who hold political power are not going to vote themselves out of it, but that's what it would take in almost any case.