Revising the Electoral College: Time for a Change?

I, and many others it’s safe to say, are not in the habit of seeing something happen in California and wondering if that might be a good idea for the rest of the country. I’m not going to go that far here either, but at least this California development is worthy of debate.

Governor Jerry Brown has made his state the ninth (I honestly don’t know who the other eight are other than a reference to all being "solidly blue") to strive to change the way the president of the United States is elected. The group, now representing 132 electoral votes, wants to award those electoral votes to the candidate who earns the most votes at the ballot box nationwide.

A couple of law professors have spearheaded the initiative, which apparently has been around for nearly a decade. There is some credence to the fact that a small number of swing states seemingly hold a level of power far exceeding what would be expected. You can put Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and a few others (Iowa and New Hampshire at this time of the year) in that mix.

But maybe it’s just the biggest of the big — California, New York, Texas, etc. — complaining because they get little attention during the campaigns. And then there is the Indiana scenario, relatively forgotten based on its late primary date and consistent GOP backing until the spotlight shined brightly in both the spring and fall of 2008.

Does this measure give every state a real voice, as the supporters say? Check out the full story and let us know what you think.

Electoral Maps Through the Years: From W. H. Harrison to “W”

With the presidential election on the top of many of our minds, you might be thinking about the esteemed history of the American presidency. Provided your historic curiosity stops at 1840, you’ll find these maps to be great fun.

And if you’re like me, you likely won’t be able to sleep tonight without knowing how the Know-Nothing Party fared in 1856. Turns out, not well.

But that’s alright; don’t feel too badly for Mr. Millard Fillmore. At least he was able to serve as president at some point. And hey, his fictional high school was the worthy home of the "Head of the Class" gang, featuring (and this is from memory) Mr. Moore, Dennis Blunden, Arvid Engen and sassy Maria … not to mention Eric, Simone and Jawaharlal. Yes! (Not sure what’s sadder — the fact that I know that or the pride I take in knowing it.)

Hat tip to Chamber marketing technology guru Glenn Harkness for passing the map site along.