How to Thwart the Electoral College 1

Here was the uber-right's scheme for solid state voters:

John Kerry IS going to WIN the state of [Maryland] on November 2. That's a FACT. This state is a "solid blue" state. That means that every single poll has Kerry winning without a doubt, beyond the margin of error for any poll. So what does that mean for true conservatives -- hard working, patriotic Americans -- like you and I? It means we live in a state where our vote will be a WASTED vote... if we vote for George W. Bush.

Don't get me wrong. I do NOT want John Kerry to win this election. NO, NO, NO. I'll be voting AGAINST this radical liberal. But like you, I live in a state where, because one candidate or the other is going to overwhelmingly win the vote, my vote against Kerry will be WASTED. I believe that George W. Bush will win re-election. I think it will be close in several of the "swing states," but I believe he'll win. But you and I don't live in a "swing state". In reality, our votes won't help swing this election to President Bush at all. So why should we bother to vote for president?

Because, my friend, there IS a way to make our votes count this election day. We can vote for Michael Peroutka, the Constitution Party candidate for president! [of course!]

HEAR ME OUT! Don't just delete this e-mail -- I'm DEAD SERIOUS [and NOT COMPLETELY CRAZY!] here. Please, consider what I have to say with an open mind and a prayerful attitude.

I've been involved in conservative politics for a long time. And as you know, "Republican" doesn't always mean "conservative". There are a lot of GOP politicians that have a "big government" mentality, as long as "big government" means THEIR "big government." But you can't send that conservative message in this state, and neither can I. Presidents are still elected via the electoral college, and all the polls show that in , ALL of the electoral votes will be going to George W. Bush. (sic) Simply put, what this means is that Bush is going to win a far majority of the popular vote here and therefore win ALL of the electoral college votes in this state. There is NO QUESTION about this. [I thought we were talking about Maryland, which is "solid blue"? But no matter, we abandoned logic and reason long ago...]

We are in a battle for the SOUL of the Republican party. I know that you, like me, love this country and you want to see a restoration of its righteousness and integrity. And because you were fed up with Bill Clinton, you probably voted in 2000 for George W. Bush. You yearned to end the national disgrace of abortion, so it's likely you voted in 2000 for George W. Bush. You desired a better education for your children and grand-children, which probably led you to vote for George W. Bush. You wanted to preserve your God-given right to keep and bear arms, so that may have also persuaded you to vote for Mr. Bush. [God gave me the right to bear arms? I thought it was the 2nd Amendment? Should I pray for that assault rifle or go buy it at a gun show? I'm so confused!] You were disturbed by advances made by homosexual activists during the Clinton years, and that, too may have driven you to vote for candidate Bush. [See, progressive activism works!]

I know that YOU know America needs a President committed to a Constitutional understanding of law and government, one who recognizes that there is a Creator God and that all rights come from Him, and that the purpose of civil government is to protect, secure and defend those rights, and not to rob Peter to pay Paul. [Does this mean Peroutka will re-institute slavery? PG County and Baltimore would be a lot less pesky if we only counted 3/5 of them. Also, for what it's worth, it WOULD be nice if Bush understood the Constitution. It would be nice if he understood phrasal construction more complicated than three words, and if those words weren't "Weapons Mass Destruction"]

Do you have to agree with Peroutka or the Constitution Party on every single issue? Of course not. Remember, there's absolutely no chance that Peroutka is going to win. So his position on any one issue will have no impact. Therefore, it doesn't matter whether or not you agree with him on any single issue. [Now here is the penetrating political insight I have been waiting for!]

What matters is that a stronger showing for Michael Peroutka will SEND A MESSAGE -- a message of STRONG conservative values. For the CONSERVATIVE cause in America -- please cast your vote for Michael Peroutka, the Constitution Party candidate for president, on November 2.

Sincerely,
William Greene, President
RightMarch.com PAC

Peroutka polled 3,162 votes, or 0% of the popular vote, in Maryland.
Nader polled 10,772 votes, or 1% of the popular vote, in Maryland.
A map that shows how Maryland got locked Blue is here.

This note, despite my strong disagreement with its politics, does suggest that the electoral college thwarts third parties for these reasons: 1) winner-take-all policy in most states means that minority parties will never get electoral votes, 2) in close races, pressure is against a third party siphoning votes (witness the Nader campaign post-2000 election). Simultaneously, it does suggest how voters in solid states can invigorate multiple party politics - leave the king-making to the swing states and put the rest in play for demonstrations of alternative politics, even if that means we have to put up with the Constitutional Party's flagrant hyprocrisy. For what it's worth, the Libertarian candidate, polled comparably to Nader in this election, indicating that there are elements of multi-party democracy out there.

Now, it is clear that after the second consecutive election decided by one or two swing states and their notorious (ly stupid) undecided voters, the electoral process seems to be failing broad swaths of the electorate. For all the rhetoric suggesting you were throwing your vote away by supporting Nader in 2000, a lot of people are feeling this time around that they are throwing their vote away by not living in Ohio. So we will be exploring the implications and alternatives to the electoral college in subsequent posts.

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