[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E24-E25]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ELIMINATE THE ELECTORAL 
 COLLEGE AND PROVIDE FOR THE DIRECT ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE 
                               PRESIDENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 5, 2017

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a constitutional 
amendment I introduced today to eliminate the electoral college and 
provide for the direct election of our nation's President and Vice 
President.
  As Founding Father Thomas Jefferson said, ``I am not an advocate for 
frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions 
must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that 
becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, 
new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change 
of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the 
times. We might well as require a man to wear still the coat which 
fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the 
regimen of their barbarous ancestors.''
  For the second time in recent memory, and for the fifth time in our 
history, the national popular vote winner will not become President 
because of the electoral college. This has happened twice to candidates 
from Tennessee: Al Gore and Andrew Jackson.
  The reason is because the electoral college, established to prevent 
an uninformed citizenry from directly electing our nation's President, 
no longer fits our nation's needs.
  When the Founders established the electoral college it was in an era 
of limited nationwide communication. The electoral structure

[[Page E25]]

was premised on a theory that citizens would have a better chance of 
knowing about electors from their home states than about presidential 
candidates from out-of-state. Electors were supposed to be people of 
good judgment who were trusted with picking a qualified President and 
Vice President on behalf of the people. They held the responsibility of 
choosing a President because it was believed that the general public 
could not be properly informed of the candidates and the values each 
held.
  That notion--that citizens should be prevented from directly electing 
the President--is antithetical to our understanding of democracy today, 
and our electoral process has not evolved to match our abilities to 
communicate, collect information, and make informed decisions about 
candidates. The development of mass media and the internet has made 
information about presidential candidates easily accessible to U.S. 
citizens across the country and around the world. The people no longer 
need the buffer of the electoral college to be knowledgeable about and 
decide who will be president. Today, citizens have a far better chance 
of knowing about out-of-state presidential candidates than knowing 
about presidential electors from their home states. Most people do not 
even know who their electors are.
  While our ability to communicate has evolved so has the electoral 
college, but not in a positive way. Electors are now little more than 
rubber stamps who are chosen based on their political parties and who 
represent the interests of those political parties, rather than 
representing the people. Most states legally bind their electors to 
vote for whomever wins that state's popular vote, so electors can no 
longer exercise individual judgment when selecting a candidate.
  In our country, ``We the People,'' are supposed to determine who 
represents us in elective office. Yet, we use an anachronistic process 
for choosing who will hold the highest offices in the land.
  It is time for us to fix this, and that is why I have introduced this 
amendment today.
  Since our nation first adopted our Constitution, ``We the People,'' 
have amended it repeatedly to expand the opportunity for citizens to 
directly elect our leaders:
  The 15th Amendment guarantees the right of all citizens to vote, 
regardless of race.
  The 19th Amendment guarantees the right of all citizens to vote, 
regardless of gender.
  The 26th Amendment guarantees the right of all citizens 18 years of 
age and older to vote, regardless of age.
  And the 17th Amendment empowers citizens to directly elect U.S. 
Senators.
  We need to amend our Constitution to empower citizens to directly 
elect the President and the Vice President of the United States.
  Working together, I know we can make our electoral college fit the 
world we live in today, and make our Constitution better reflect the 
``more perfect Union'' to which it aspires.

                          ____________________