My Take: National popular vote compact good for Michigan, America
In her May 11 Sentinel article, Michigan Republican Rep. Rachelle Smit described the National Popular Vote Compact (a movement advocating that the winner of the popular vote — rather than the one receiving the most Electoral College votes — should be president) as bad for Michigan and America. She used scary comments such as: “radical,” a “Democratic … foist,” “attacks the Electoral College,” “dangerous threat to our Republic,” and “threatens to … throw presidential elections into disarray.”
More: My Take: National popular vote movement bad for Michigan, bad for America
She is correct in that the NPVC does away with the original “intent” of the Electoral College — which is to diminish democracy by turning presidential elections over to the state legislatures, granting each state’s votes based on membership in the House and two for the Senate. The 1787 U.S. Constitution by using the Electoral College shifted the vote for president to favor small (least populated) states rather than each person’s vote counting toward the total votes cast. Southern states insisted on the Electoral College so they could control the presidency, preventing any attack on slavery. They assumed that state legislators (not the citizens) would vote for a wise person, such as George Washington, to represent them by doing what’s best for the common good and preventing the election of a demagogue. (The Electoral College failed to do this in 2016.)
This ideal was discarded by 1800 as the voting population (restricted to white land-owning men) split into two political factions. The president would now be a partisan actor. By the era of Jackson (1830s) the push toward democracy caused states to pass laws stating that their state would give their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote in their states. It is perfectly legal for any state to repeal its law and return the power to the state legislature. There has been talk by Republicans to do just that as their states’ population trends Democratic.
I agree with Smit on some of her complaints. It does subvert the U.S. Constitution’s original intent, but the Constitution’s original intent has long been discarded.
Currently, we have a problem that Smit fails to address. By gerrymandering voting districts, enabling the passage of laws to restrict the votes of their opponents, Republicans have “rigged” the system so that they can win the presidency without needing to have their policies align with a majority of the people. Only once this century have Republicans won a majority of the popular vote (G.W. Bush in 2004).
The American ideal of majority rule with minority rights has been turned upside down. Now we have minority rule denying the majority its rights. Such was the case in Michigan for 40 years. The NPVC addresses this problem. There is, however, another possible solution. End partisan gerrymandering. Tolerating this injustice, however, the current conservative U.S. Supreme Court assists the creation of this Republican minority rule by permitting partisan gerrymandering.
Because it disproportionally negatively impacts racial minorities, it is also racial gerrymandering. And with the Supreme Court also gutting the voting rights laws, they have allowed Republican-controlled states to enact laws making it more difficult for their opposition to vote. The Robert’s Court is interpreting the Constitution in such away so as to, once again, permit discrimination.
Republicans control most states and continue to do so through partisan gerrymandering. Yes, Democratic-controlled states can also do this; however, some Democratic-leaning states, such as Michigan, California and New York have nonpartisan gerrymandering. If either California or New York had partisan gerrymandering, Democrats would currently control the U.S. House.
Smit is wrong saying the NPVC will throw elections into chaos. Republicans threw the 2020 election into chaos by falsely questioning Biden’s win and supporting Trump’s authoritarian attempt to rule, even by refusing to remove him from office when he was impeached, again.
The problem Smit does not address is Republican unwillingness to support democracy so that Republicans can stay in power as a minority. We have the problem of a pro-billionaire, pro-Christian Nationalism, pro-authoritarianism, pro-racism minority, which is willing to use undemocratic practices to maintain power, thus, electing presidents who represent a minority of voters and enacting laws opposed to the common good.
The NPVC corrects these injustices. The NPVC is good for American democracy, bad for authoritarian Republicans.
— Don Bergman is a resident of Holland.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: National popular vote compact good for Michigan, America
