[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 23 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 23

  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
  abolish the electoral college and to provide for the direct popular 
   election of the President and Vice President of the United States.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 1999

 Mr. LaHood (for himself and Mr. Wise) introduced the following joint 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
  abolish the electoral college and to provide for the direct popular 
   election of the President and Vice President of the United States.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article--

    ``Section 1. The President and Vice President shall be elected by 
the people of the several States and the district constituting the seat 
of government of the United States.
    ``Section 2. The electors in each State shall have the 
qualifications requisite for electors of Senators and Representatives 
in Congress from that State, except that the legislature of any State 
may prescribe less restrictive qualifications with respect to residence 
and Congress may establish uniform residence and age qualifications.
    ``Section 3. The persons having the greatest number of votes for 
President and Vice President shall be elected, if such number be at 
least 40 per centum of the whole number of votes cast for such offices. 
If no persons have such number, a runoff election shall be held in 
which the choice of President and Vice President shall be made from the 
persons who received the two highest numbers of votes for each office.
    ``Section 4. The days for such elections shall be determined by 
Congress. The times, places, and manner of holding such election and 
entitlement to inclusion on the ballot shall be prescribed in each 
State by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by 
law make or alter such regulations. The Congress shall prescribe by law 
the time, place, and manner in which the results of such elections 
shall be ascertained and declared.
    ``Section 5. Each elector shall cast a single vote jointly 
applicable to President and Vice President. Names of candidates shall 
not be joined unless they shall have consented thereto and no candidate 
shall consent to his or her name's being joined with that of more than 
one other person.
    ``Section 6. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the 
death of any candidate for President or Vice President before the day 
on which the President-elect or a Vice President-elect has been chosen; 
and for the case of a tie in any election.
    ``Section 7. This article shall take effect one year after the 
twenty-first day of January following ratification.''.
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