[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15644]
[From the U.S. 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, December 1, 2016

  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.
  For the second time in recent memory, and for the fifth time in our 
history, we have a President-elect, who lost the popular vote.
  The reason is because of an antiquated system that was established to 
prevent citizens from directly electing our nation's President.
  That notion--that citizens should be prevented from directly electing 
the President--is antithetical to our understanding of democracy.
  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.
  When the Founders established the electoral college it was in an era 
of limited nationwide communication. It 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.
  The development of mass media and the internet, however, has made 
information about presidential candidates easily accessible to U.S. 
citizens across the country and around the world.
  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 don't even know who their electors 
are.
  As 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.''
  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. What resulted was the following:
  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 empower citizens to directly elect the President and the 
Vice President of the United States.
  I am privileged to serve as Ranking Member of the House Judiciary 
Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. My 
colleagues and I at the Judiciary Committee will be holding a forum 
next week to examine our outdated presidential election process. I hope 
members will attend and share their views.
  Working together, I know we can fix this historical anomaly, and make 
our Constitution better reflect the ``more perfect Union'' to which it 
aspires.




                          ____________________