[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 20 (Thursday, February 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE REINTRODUCTION OF A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ABOLISH THE 
                           ELECTORAL COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RAY LaHOOD

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 4, 1999

  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to reintroduce, along with 
Congressman Wise from West Virginia, a constitutional amendment that 
seeks to end the arcane and obsolete institution known as the Electoral 
College.
  It is no accident that this bill is being introduced today, the day 
that the electoral ballots are opened and counted in the presence of 
the House and Senate. I hope that the timing of this bill's 
introduction will only underscore the fact that the time has come to 
put an end to this archaic practice that we must endure every four 
years.
  Only the President and the Vice President of the United States are 
currently elected indirectly by the Electoral College--and not by the 
voting citizens of this country. All other elected officials, from the 
local officeholder up to United States Senator, are elected directly by 
the people.
  Our bill will replace the complicated electoral college system with 
the simple method of using the popular vote to decide the winner of a 
presidential election. By switching to a direct voting system, we can 
avoid the result of electing a President who failed to win the popular 
vote. This outcome has, in fact, occurred three times in our history 
and resulted in the elections of John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford 
B. Hayes (1876), and Benjamin Harrison (1888).
  In addition to the problem of electing a President who failed to 
receive the popular vote, the Electoral College system also allows for 
the peculiar possibility of having Congress decide the outcome should a 
presidential ticket fail to receive a majority of the Electoral College 
votes. Should this happen, the 12th Amendment requires the House of 
Representatives to elect a President and the Senate to elect a Vice 
President. Such an occurrence would clearly not be in the best interest 
of the people, for they would be denied the ability to directly elect 
those who serve in our highest offices.
  This bill will put to rest the Electoral College and its potential 
for creating contrary and singular election results. And, it is 
introduced not without historical precedent. In 1969, the House of 
Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill calling for the abolition 
of the Electoral College and putting a system of direct election in its 
place. Despite passing the House by a vote of 338-70, the bill got 
bogged down in the Senate where a filibuster blocked its progress.
  So, it is in the spirit of this previous action that we introduce 
legislation to end the Electoral College. I am hopeful that our fellow 
members on both sides of the aisle will stand with us by cosponsoring 
this important piece of legislation.

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