PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14, 2011 – State Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in objecting to Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi’s proposal to change the Electoral College voting process. Pileggi would like Pennsylvania to award an electoral vote to a presidential candidate for each congressional district he or she wins.
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“There is no mistaking that this is nothing other than a blatant attempt by Republicans to have a lopsided, unfair playing field for national elections,” Hughes said. “Someone needs to explain to Pennsylvanians why the Republican legislators are spending time on this issue, when real time needs to be devoted to putting Pennsylvanians back to work. These priorities are misguided and unfair to the people of Pennsylvania.”
The Senator went out to point out that “Republicans are hoping to award electoral votes by congressional districts because they are the very legislators in control of redistricting. Clearly, this would greatly benefit GOP candidates. Furthermore, doing so makes Pennsylvania, a state that is at the forefront during national elections, irrelevant.”
Pennsylvania has not split its Electoral College vote since the 1804 ratification of the 12th Amendment. Pennsylvania, and virtually every other state, casts all of its electoral votes for the presidential candidate who wins the state’s popular vote.
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