[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 50 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 50

  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
abolish the Electoral College and to provide for the direct election of 
         the President and Vice President of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2005

Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California (for herself, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Stark, Mr. 
McDermott, and Mr. Serrano) 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 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 voters in each State in elections for President 
and Vice President shall have the qualifications requisite for voters 
of the most populous branch of the legislature of the State, although 
Congress may establish uniform age qualifications.
    ``Section 3. Each voter in elections for President and Vice 
President shall cast a single vote for two persons who have consented 
to the joining of their names as candidates for President and Vice 
President. No voter shall be prohibited from casting a vote for a 
candidate for President or Vice President because either candidate, or 
both, are inhabitants of the same State as the voter.
    ``Section 4. The pair of candidates having the greatest number of 
votes for President and Vice President shall be elected.
    ``Section 5. The times, places, and manner of holding such 
elections and entitlement to inclusion on the ballot shall be 
determined by Congress.
    ``Section 6. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the 
death or any other disqualification of any candidate for President or 
Vice President before the day on which the President-elect or 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 
first day of January following ratification.''.
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