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Washington, DC - U.S. Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) will join Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) at a press conference on Wednesday, September 15 calling for the establishment of direct, popular election for the office of President and Vice President of the United States of America. The press conference, scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM on the Cannon Terrace, will mark the introduction of a constitutional amendment to eliminate the complex and often partisan Electoral College in favor of a system whereby the candidate with the highest percentage of the popular vote is elected President.
“Every citizen’s vote should count in America, not just the votes of partisan insiders in the Electoral College,” said Rep. Green. “The Electoral College was necessary when communications were poor, literacy was low and voters lacked information about out-of-state figures, which is clearly no longer the case.”
As America gears up for the presidential election on November 2, many recall the uncertainty and political posturing that surrounded the 2000 election. In the weeks that followed the 2000 election, a few hundred votes in a handful of counties decided an election in which over 100 million people voted and the candidate with the most votes lost.
“We must place the election of the President directly in the hands of the American people,” said Rep. Baird. “By abolishing the Electoral College, we force the candidates to reach out to all people and encourage voter participation. When the voters know their vote will be counted, they will feel a direct link, a desire and a responsibility to go to the polls and voice their opinion.” |
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