Readers: Get Rid of Electoral College

This year's election may be over, but there is a movement under way that would change the way the U.S. president is chosen in the future.

And that change is something some Lutz residents might be pleased with.

"There are no reasons nowdays why we should not use the popular vote, which is the most logical," Lutz Patch reader Jim Nibi commented on a recent story about the system for electing U.S. presidents.

"I think we need to get voting computerized so it's easy to vote and get results. Each state is so haphazard with how it's done and Florida is the absolute worst. With that said, purely because it's virtually impossible for an independent to ever win, I wish we just used the popular vote," Lutz Patch reader RD wrote.

"In this electronic age, each person's vote should count in each state, not the electoral votes. They should get rid of it," reader Sharon Faires wrote.

An effort to change the system to reflect the popular vote has been in the works since 2006, when a bipartisan coalition of former congressmen launched a state-by-state campaign starting in Illinois. 

Since then, the bill has gained enough traction to make its mark on the political landscape—and possibly change the way the next president is determined.

The National Popular Vote bill "would guarantee a majority of the Electoral College to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia," according to the NPV website. "The bill would reform the Electoral College so that the electoral vote in the Electoral College reflects the choice of the nation's voters for President of the United States."

So far, the bill has been enacted into law in states that possess a total of 132 electoral votes, which is 49 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the legislation, according to the site. Those states include Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachussetts, New Jersey and California, among others.

The website provides those interested with a pre-formatted letter to send to state legislators asking them to support the bill in their state. Doing so requires entering a ZIP code and contact information, including a mailing address.

The site also provides opportunities to get involved in promoting the bill as a volunteer.

For more infomation, visit the National Popular Vote website.

See also: The Electoral College vs. Popular Vote