House Bill 1093 – Rep. Avery:
Distribution of Indiana electoral votes. Provides that electors for President and Vice President of the United States are chosen so that the candidate for President: (1) receiving the greatest number of votes in a congressional district receives the vote of one Indiana presidential elector; and (2) receiving the greatest number of votes statewide receives the vote of two at-large presidential electors. Requires a presidential elector representing a congressional district and voting for President and Vice President of the United States to vote for the candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the congressional district. Requires an at-large presidential elector voting for President and Vice President of the United States to vote for the candidates who receive the greatest number of votes statewide. Provides that an elector who fails to vote for the candidates for President and Vice President of the United States for whom the elector is required to vote commits a Class B misdemeanor.
An interesting proposal that is being considered in other states as well. Currently, Indiana has a winner-take-all approach to distributing its 11 electoral votes. In each of the 9 Congressional Districts, vote totals would be determined for the Presidential race. The winner in the particular Congressional District would receive the vote of the elector for that district. The 2 state wide electors would vote for whomever received the most votes state wide. (Maine and Nebraska already apportion their electors this way.) [Also see: United States Electoral College at Wikipedia.]
[tags]HB1093-2007, elections[/tags]
With elections as close as they have been lately– and Indiana always taken for granted as a Red state (NOT proven in the last election cycle!) this could help us be more “in play” for the final elections, which means candidates could not take us for granted as the easy Red between the BLUES (IL and MI) and the purple prize of OHIO.
Might be my favorite bill of 2007. I doubt the candidates will pay any more attention to Indiana about it, but I think it does help eliminate the “my vote doesn’t matter” stigma to presidental voting in Indiana.
Sounds like a good idea. I don’t like how the electoral college works in most states, including Indiana, right now. Presidential candidates spend all of their time in states that are either heavily populated or “in play.” They barely campaign in states that seem to be a “lock” for one party or the other. If this passes, maybe Indiana will be considered worthy of attention.
Would this be in effect for 08 if passed?
If so I think it could raise the stakes in the IN-8 and IN9 Congressional races and pour more money into them – making them higher profile. As they are now pretty even (if not red) districts with Dem Congressmen. We could see Presidential candidates in both Bloomington (the Dem) and Evensville (both) during this cycle then, at least.