DBWI USA keeps the Electoral College

[Galba Otho Vitelius]

The 26th Amendment replaced the electoral college with a two round popular vote for President, imitating the system used in France. The amendment was filibustered by Southern Senators but Nixon twisted the arms of enough Republican Senators to make sure it passed.

However, the 1968 election result had been a mess where Nixon won a narrow popular vote plurality and Humphrey won a narrow electoral vote plurality. Nixon personally did not want to be in a position where George Wallace would play kingmaker again. Flip just a few close Humphrey states and Nixon probably gets an electoral vote majority and would not be as interested in backing the amendment. This would make a good POD for the USA to keep the electoral college system.

What would change? While there have been less than half a dozen subsequent elections that had to go to a second round, I imagine keeping the Electoral College would change the campaigns themselves considerably and also affect the nomination process.

 

[AltoRegnant]

The US wouldn't have finally pulled itself back towards the center of the general political spectrum

 

[Thomas Jefferson]

You probably would have seen multiple elections thrown to the House during the AIP's heyday in the 1970s-1980s, resulting in a series of weak presidents.

 

[David T]

It's a pity that the US chose the cumbersome runoff system when ranked-choice voting was available instead.

 

[Whiteshore]

It's a pity that the US chose the cumbersome runoff system when ranked-choice voting was available instead.

At least we didn't choose a one-round system, which, as South Korea demonstrates, is not a good system.

 

[vuun]

The huge and unforeseen consequence of the 26th amendment was the collapse of the two party system that long dominated. It made runoff elections part of the political reality and led to most states also implementing runoff elections for statewide contests, giving "third parties" more viability than they had before. Indeed, both the Democrats and Republicans largely abandoned the South which is instead dominated by the American Party.

Without the 26th Amendment the Democrats and Republicans would maintain their complete stranglehold on power. I suspect the Liberation Party (which started out as a "black" party but has evolved into a more multiracial left wing coalition in recent years) wouldn't even exist.

 

[Whiteshore]

I suspect the Liberation Party (which started out as a "black" party but has evolved into a more multiracial left wing coalition in recent years) wouldn't even exist.

Let alone elected Bernie Sanders as President in 2016.

 

[Divergent54]

Let alone elected Bernie Sanders as President in 2016.

Oh yeah. The Liberation Party gained a lot of seats after the 2015 Great Recession and housing bubble collapse-- which, of course, popularised that party during the 2016 election. Still, America and the rest of the world have a lot of scars from the 2015 economic collapse. What with the Irish and Portuguese defaults and the declaration of Chapter 9 bankruptcy by Detroit and Cleveland. Whilst America shifted leftwards due to the great economic downturn, a lot of other countries shifted to the right. One might be careful of being Muslim and/or African in Portugal, Spain, or Italy due to the dangerous rhetoric of the blame-game and scapegoating over there . . .

 

[Dolan]

Let alone elected Bernie Sanders as President in 2016.

It's kind of weird looking at Sanders/Zuckerberg ticket though... One very old guy with a very young guy as VP

 

[DougM]

You wouldn’t have this post being locked as soon as a moderator sees it......

 

[Amadeus]

Back to the 1970s, when the amendment was passed, it's possible that Reagan would've won in 1976 had there been an electoral college - he had a better chance of winning there than in the popular vote.

 

[CalBear]

Wow. Took all the way to post # 7 to jump the Current Politics Shark, I would have expected it by post # 4.

Locked per posted policy on current politics.