{
  "id": "RL32612",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32612",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 305774,
      "date": "2005-06-30",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:39:43.773029",
      "title": "The Electoral College: Reform Proposals in the 108th Congress",
      "summary": "American voters elect the President and Vice President of the United States under a complex\narrangement of constitutional provisions, federal and state laws, and political party practices known\nas the electoral college system. For additional information on contemporary operation of the system,\nplease see  CRS Report RL32611 ,  The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary\nPresidential Elections , by Thomas H. Neale.\n \n Despite occasional close elections, this system has delivered uncontested results in 46 of 50\nelections since adoption of the 12th Amendment, effective in 1804. Throughout this period,\nnevertheless, it has been the subject of persistent criticism and many reform proposals. Related\nmeasures fall into two basic categories: those that would eliminate the electoral college and\nsubstitute direct popular election of the President and Vice President, and those that would retain the\nexisting system in some form and correct perceived defects.\n \n For additional information on electoral college contingencies and broader aspects of reform\nproposals, please consult  CRS Report RL30804 ,  The Electoral College: An Overview and\nAnalysis\nof Reform Proposals , by L. Paige Whitaker and Thomas H. Neale. Three proposed\nconstitutional\namendments to change or replace the electoral college system were offered in the 108th Congress. \nSection 4 of  H.J.Res. 28  (Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., and others) sought to\n\u201censure that each Elector votes for the candidate for President and Vice President who\nreceived a\nmajority of the popular vote in the State.\u201d  H.J.Res. 103  (Representative Gene Green\nand others) and  H.J.Res. 109 , (Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., and others) and\n H.J.Res. 112  (Representative Zoe Lofgren) proposed replacing the electoral college\nsystem with direct popular election. In addition, another bill related indirectly to the electoral college\nsystem.  H.R. 4867  (Representative Peter Deutsch and others) would have changed the\nrequirements for congressional objections to the validity of electoral votes at the joint session of\nCongress at which electoral votes are counted and certified. No action beyond committee referral\nwas taken during the 108th Congress on these measures.\n \n A state electoral college reform proposal also attracted attention in the 2004 elections. In\nColorado, voters rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have replaced the existing\ngeneral ticket system with a rounded proportional method of allocating electoral votes.\n \n This report remains available to Congress, but will be not be updated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL32612",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Constitutional Questions"
  ]
}