Tim Walz Calls for Abolition of Electoral College

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Facts

  • Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz on Tuesday said that the US needs a "national popular vote" and that the "Electoral College needs to go."[1][2]
  • During a campaign fundraiser in California governor Gavin Newsom's Sacramento home, Walz reportedly suggested he didn't have to focus on key swing states and would prefer to win votes from across the country.[3]
  • Teddy Tschann, a spokesman for Walz, said that the nominee's opinion about the Electoral College isn't an official Harris-Walz campaign position and that he was only mulling how to win the 270 electoral votes needed for the White House.[4][5]
  • On Jimmy Kimmel's late-night television show in 2019, Vice Pres. Kamala Harris had said she was "open to the discussion" of eliminating the Electoral College.[5]
  • The US presidential elections aren't decided by the nationwide popular vote, but is won by whichever candidate secures at least 270 of 538 available electoral votes.[6]
  • The Electoral College can only be abolished through a constitutional amendment, which would require support from two-thirds of the House and Senate, as well as ratification from three-quarters of US states.[7][8]

Sources: [1]CBS, [2]CNN, [3]National Review, [4]Townhall, [5]The New York Times, [6]The Guardian, [7]Associated Press and [8]USA Today.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Associated Press and CBS News. The Electoral College is an outdated system that undermines the principle of one person, one vote. It disproportionately favors smaller states and enables candidates to win the presidency without securing the popular vote. Abolishing it would ensure that every vote carries equal weight, and would force candidates to campaign nationwide, not just in a handful of swing states.
  • Narrative B, as provided by USA Today. The Electoral College, a system born of compromise, remains vital to reflecting America's diverse landscape in the nation's democracy. It prevents densely populated cities from dominating elections, ensures rural and suburban voices are heard, and forces candidates to campaign nationwide.

Predictions