http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/10/AR2007041000852.\
html

*O'Malley Signs Bill to Bypass Electoral College*

By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 10, 2007; 2:52 PM

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) signed a bill into law today that makes
Maryland the first state in the nation to join a movement to bypass the
Electoral College and elect U.S. presidents by national popular vote.

The bill, passed in a session of the General Assembly that concluded
yesterday, would award the state's 10 electoral votes to the
presidential candidate who wins the most votes nationwide -- not
statewide. The agreement would not take effect until states that
cumulatively hold 270 electoral votes -- the number needed to win a
presidential election -- sign on.

Supporters of the measure, which is being championed by a national
nonprofit group, say deciding elections by popular vote would give
candidates reason to campaign nationwide and not concentrate their
efforts in "battleground" states, such as Florida and Ohio, that have
dominated recent elections.

Moreover, the supporters argue, such a system would prevent rare
occasions, such as President Bush's 2000 victory over Al Gore, in which
a candidate who wins the popular vote does not prevail in the electoral
college, a fixture in U.S. elections since the nation's founding.

During debate, opponents argued election by popular vote could just
switch the target for candidates from closely divided states to large
cities with many voters -- a scenario that would not necessarily empower
Maryland. And they suggested a national recount could be chaotic.

The bill was among more than 100 signed by O'Malley in the first of four
ceremonies scheduled in coming weeks. Other legislation established a
sub-cabinet to coordinate the impact of the national Base Realignment
and Closure process on Maryland and set up a government accountability
program called StateStat.

Most of the higher-profile legislation that passed late in the 90-day
session will be signed at future ceremonies. The session ended last night.

"This was a successful session," O'Malley said at the outset of the
ceremony. "This is a session where we found consensus in order to
advance the common good."


--
Jack Santucci
Research Fellow

FairVote - The Center for Voting and Democracy
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(301) 270-4616 tel
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