Tired of having Arizona ignored every four years, Gov. Jan Brewer said Friday she’s coming around to believing it’s time to scrap the electoral college.
Brewer said the system where the president is chosen by electors and not the popular vote probably “served its purpose” when it was made part of the original U.S. Constitution.
“But it’s pretty disappointing when you think that just a few states really determine who’s been elected president,” the governor said. “And they get all the attention.”
It comes down to pure numbers.
Each state gets two electoral votes for its senators, plus the number of representatives it has. So Arizona, despite its growing population, gets just 11 — out of 538 nationwide.
So a state like Arizona, which also has been pretty much written off by both sides as a lock for Republicans, gets ignored. Brewer said she figures it would be different if candidates were competing for each and every vote in each and every state.
“If it was a popular vote, I think that all the states would receive attention,” she said.
And Brewer said she feels that way, even realizing that had the 2000 election been decided purely on the popular vote, Democrat Al Gore would have been elected president and not Republican George W. Bush.
“There’s upsides and downsides,” she said.
Brewer said the issue goes beyond how much — or little — influence Arizona has in the presidential general election. She said the current system results in voters here believing it doesn’t really matter how they vote for who is at the top of the ticket.
“I think the public, overwhelmingly from the people I’ve spoken to, they would like to know that their vote does count, and it was counted together with everybody else’s vote, that they were part of that win,” Brewer said.
Still, the governor said that does not minimize the effort by her party in securing those 11 electoral votes for Mitt Romney, the nationwide results notwithstanding.
“We did our job here in Arizona,” she said.
jemarmax posted at 1:59 pm on Sun, Nov 18, 2012.
Love 98% of the opinions about Brewer's whining! She is truly a wingnut, and the sooner we get her out of office the better! Anyone so egotistical as to point their finger in the President's face and ratchet up that heinous mug in front of him out to be 'sanctioned' some way or another!
Dale Whiting posted at 5:09 am on Wed, Nov 14, 2012.
Recall, boys! It worked in Mesa. It can work state wide.
reddots posted at 1:49 pm on Tue, Nov 13, 2012.
Well why nor just toss out the whole Constitution then? I mean it just gets in the way,
Engaged Voter posted at 11:41 am on Tue, Nov 13, 2012.
While I do have my concerns about the schill that the Electoral College has become, Brewer's rant (and reversal of her previous position) sounds like just another Tea-bagger temper tantrum because her guy didn't win.
Now, if she had come to this opinion ONE MONTH ago... ;)
Dale Whiting posted at 3:28 am on Tue, Nov 13, 2012.
Woops, a typo. Half of 450 is 225. AZ is even less of an important state!
Dale Whiting posted at 3:27 am on Tue, Nov 13, 2012.
Jan,
Scrapping the Electoral College would reduce Arizona's effective representation from 11 to 9. 9 x 50 = 450. Half = 250. Where it now takes 270 to win, in effect loosing the electoral college two senate seat votes reduces Arizona's influence in the election. Are you that stupid? Without a doubt, you are!
If candidates must campaign in all 50 states, who will go to Alaska? No one worth his or her salt as president. No, Jan, candidates will still concentrate their campaigning in those markets with the most voters, New York, Chicago, LA. Arizona is a relatively average market.
What did Arizona do to deserve Jan Brewer?
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scyntax posted at 9:17 am on Mon, Nov 12, 2012.
It is absolutely time to scrap the electoral college, the purpose of which has long passed. The founding fathers, in all their wisdom, believed that the population could be manipulated into electing an unqualified person. They simply did not trust the citizens.
I believe that electing a president is not a state-by-state vote. It is a national vote where all state lines should disappear. This nonsense of swing states and battleground states and having, say Ohio, determine the election would vanish.
Unfortunately, eliminating the college would require a constitutional amendment ratified by 3/4 of the states.
leftystillfree posted at 1:43 am on Mon, Nov 12, 2012.
the empty void between Brewer's sagging ears prevents her from the realization that her opinion's don't matter to anyone except her and her racist pals. Why do I think the next audible sound coming from her pie-hole will sound more like immigration reform, and less like building border fences? If they can't beat 'em, at least they will steal their ideas and try to take credit for it.
doc10250 posted at 6:15 am on Sun, Nov 11, 2012.
"“If it was a popular vote, I think that all the states would receive attention,” Is it just me or do we see just a tad of EGO coming through this comment. Seems like poor Jan isn't getting enough love!
“I think the public, overwhelmingly from the people I’ve spoken to, they would like to know that their vote does count, and it was counted together with everybody else’s vote, that they were part of that win," Get over it Jan. The fact is that this country is ruled by the Golden Rule: He who controls the Gold rules: That would be the Kock Brothers and Soros jockeying for position. And either can buy the votes necessary.
And I'm with Phoenixvato1202 on this one. Same reasoning and same end result. The Republicraps just don't do it for me in their current configuration and dogma, and I are one! God bless the USA.
phxvato1202 posted at 9:55 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Since Brewer knows she can't get rid of the latino vote which will only grow stronger she wants to eliminate the electoral college. She needs to be sent home to her chair and bottle. People say she is an embarrassment to this state and she truly is. With politicians like her it's no wonder Arizona is considered in the most negative form in this country. We should just eliminate the entire GOP here in Arizona who just happen to be idiots. I had voted republican for president for the last 5 or 6 election but because of morons like brewer and pearce I voted for Obama not because i agree with his policies but to send a message to the AZ GOP that my vote does matter regardless of what brewer thinks.
Mike McClellan posted at 9:35 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Yep, she wants to get rid of the Electoral College. In further news, Brewer announcd today that she'd like to replace it with an ASU satellite campus . . .
OldMan posted at 6:45 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Where would it have to start? The Senate and House? Not a chance.
Let's open dialogue to change the party system. Gov. Romney perchance had the skills to be a president, but when he had to cater to the strict ideology of the Republican Party, he lost the Latino vote.
Bingo6 posted at 6:40 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Let's scrap the wicked witch of the west Jan. Brewer.
soricobob posted at 6:03 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Of course, we could switch from electoral to acreage. That way Alaska voters would have the greatest say. Or we could go to the crowded system; where NYC would have the greatest say. But, whatever the system, if Jan's fav lost, she want it changed.
downtownresident posted at 7:11 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
Considering who our "leaders" are, I think it's a good thing we are ignored.
God forbid anybody listen to the radical fanatics that somehow get elected here.
Female Ev Mecham. That's good!
tobesograteful posted at 4:50 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
YES! She is so right! Let's let the REAL people vote!! Amen to Ms. Brewer! You keep going Jan!
bubba posted at 3:46 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
"And Brewer said she feels that way, even realizing that had the 2000 election been decided purely on the popular vote, Democrat Al Gore would have been elected president and not Republican George W. Bush."
Just think of this country not having been subjected to Bush and Cheney. We wouldn't be in a fraction of the mess we're still paying for. And we wouldn't have lost the lives of 4486 US servicemen and women in Iraq. Something to ponder with Veterans Day coming up.
jataga5000 posted at 3:46 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
I think she wants the attention. Most of the country view her as too angry, partisan and irrelevant. Too bad, so sad.
Carolyn posted at 3:39 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
Jan Brewer is nothing but an ignorant, nasty, vicious, cackly old witch, who isn't qualified to be governor of Arizona, let lone make comments on the electoral college. She makes Symington look almost saintly. She has no college degree - just a "radiological certificate" from Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ. She was also stupid enough to sign SB1070. She makes one LYING statement after another - and then has to expain herself. One of her sons, who has been in the Arizona State Mental Hospital for more than 20 years, was a rapist - obviously mentally illl....and the way Gov. Brewer continues to herself and embarrass Arizona makes one wonder if the fruit doesn't fal far from the tee.
Bluepoet posted at 3:37 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
She is the female Ev Mecham equivalent, for sure...
But, if we made election of the President, by popular vote, it would only shift the candidates to campaigning in California, New York, Texas, and Florida, where most of the population resides.
How would that change Arizona's situation?
Upsides and downsides, indeed...
Marc B posted at 3:18 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
It's time to scrap Jan Brewer. She is the most vacant, silly, pathetic embarrassment Arizona has suffered since "The White Rat" Symington.
gag