[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 8 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 8

  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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2005

  Mr. Gene Green of Texas (for himself, Mr. Baird, and Mr. Delahunt) 
 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),

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This joint resolution may be cited as the ``Every Vote Counts 
Amendment''.

SEC. 2. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

    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.
    ``Section 4. Each elector shall cast a single vote jointly 
applicable to President and Vice President. Names of candidates may not 
be joined unless they shall have consented thereto and no candidate may 
consent to the candidate's name being joined with that of more than one 
other person.
    ``Section 5. 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 Vice President-elect has been chosen, 
and for the case of a tie in any election.
    ``Section 6. This article shall apply with respect to any election 
for President and Vice President held after the expiration of the 1-
year period which begins on the date of the ratification of this 
article.''.
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