The Senate passed the Faithful Electors Act yesterday by a vote of 16-3-2. Republican Senators Hocker, Richardson and Wilson believe electors should be able to defy the will of the voters.
Introduced in March by Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, Senate Bill 57 will help ensure that the will of Delaware voters is faithfully honored when the Electoral College convenes every four years to decide the outcome of presidential elections.
SB 57 would specifically adopt the Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act – model legislation passed in at least eight other states to prevent rogue electors from usurping the popular vote.
Under the bill, electors would be required to sign a pledge to mark their ballots in accordance with the popular vote. Any attempt by an elector to submit a vote in violation of that pledge would effectively constitute a resignation, and begin a process to replace that elector.
SB 57 now heads to the Delaware House for consideration.
| Senate Bill 57 – Faithful Presidential Electors Act | Currrent Status – Senate passes 16-3-2. Sent to the House. |
| House Sponsors – Baumbach, Lynn, Romer, Schwartzkopf | Senate Sponsors – Gay, Hoffner, McBride, Sokola, Sturgeon |
| House Yes Votes – | Senate Yes Votes – Brown Gay Hansen Hoffner Huxtable Lockman Mantzavinos McBride Paradee Pinkney Poore Sokola Sturgeon Townsend Walsh // Pettyjohn |
| House No Votes – | Senate No Votes – Hocker, Richardson, Wilson |
| House Absents or Not Voting – | Senate Absent or Not Voting – Buckson, Lawson |
“In recent years, we have come dangerously close to seeing our democratic institutions circumvented,” said Sen. Gay. “This legislation will help protect the sanctity of the popular vote in Delaware by requiring that our representatives to the Electoral College faithfully fulfill their obligation to the will of the voters.”
“Voting matters, and SB 57 will ensure that when Delaware voters choose a Presidential candidate in a general election by popular vote, Delaware’s electors are required to cast Delaware’s three electoral votes for that very candidate. SB 57 eliminates hijacking of the electoral process,” said Rep. Paul Baumbach, the House prime sponsor of SB 57. “I am so appreciative of Sen Gay’s leadership on this critical legislation, and I look forward to shepherding it through the House.”
Does anyone know whether this bill conflicts with the NPV compact we signed onto a couple years earlier? Our ultimate goal should be the removal of the electoral college, as the GOP will ultimately rely on that to maintain their power and minority rule in this country. If this bill does conflict with the NPV compact we signed onto then it seems counterproductive considering Delaware is a deep blue state with the GOP pulling this stunt in purple contested states.
It does not. Right now, the NPV compact is not active as not enough states have passed it to become active. So this bill affects our current system. And all this bill does is tie the Electors to the popular vote of the state. I see no problem with that, and if, God forbid, a Republican ever wins the popular vote of Delaware in a presidential election, then I do not care to overturn that result just because we are a deep blue state. It’s called Democracy, and sometimes the other guys win.
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While I applaud this effort, it continues to amaze me that neither political party pays attention to the ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM of American politics.
. . . According to the “Wyoming Rule” proposal, under the principal of “one person, one vote” forty-one of our fifty states are under-represented in Washington. That includes Delaware, which should have two seats in the House, instead of one. The picture is even more dramatic for Texas and California. Between 2010 and 2020, California added one million new residents, yet California lost one Congressional seat following the 2020 census. In Colorado, one House seat was added, instead of the three needed to have “taxation with equal representation.”
. . . Here are the ugly numbers:
. . . The state of Wyoming’s population is 581,000.
. . . The state of Delaware has 1,020,000 people.
. . . The state of Colorado has 5,913,400 people.
. . . In Delaware, the single “at large” representative must serve 1,020,000 people, 439,000 more people than the representative from Wyoming.
. . . We are stuck with the number of House seats (435) because of an antiquated law signed by Herbert Hoover in 1929 (The Permanent Apportionment Act). Please follow this link for the “Wyoming Rule” proposal, that would add 138 seats to the House (not including Washington DC and Puerto Rico).
. . . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_Rule
. . . I am not asking for “the moon” here. All I want is for Democrats to raise this point, with the goal of “uncapping” the House as a part of a new Voting Rights Act. . To bring Congress into the 21st century, the issue of gerrymandering must also be addressed in any legislation.
. . . There is a reason why Donald Trump was elected President in 2016, while losing the popular vote by millions. While some of us scream about the Electoral College, demanding an end to it, I think it will be easier to address such electoral disparity by bringing the number of seats in the House to a number that reflects today’s America – – – not a number that belongs back in 1929. All it takes to lift the arbitrary number 435 is approval from both the House and Senate; no constitutional amendment is needed.
. . . “Taxation with equal representation” has another benefit: it will help lower the burden placed on Congressional staff across the country. Having less than 600,000 people per district (as proposed in the Wyoming Rule) would be a godsend for overworked people on Capitol Hill. According to a study conducted several years ago by the American Enterprise Institute, Congressional staff spend sixty percent of their time answering constituent inquiries. It leaves little time for them to assist in creating legislation, related researching, preparing for committee hearings, and other Congressional duties. . Along with a high burn-out factor affecting staff, this situation enables lobbyists to waltz into the picture, where they “assist” in writing legislation.
. . . Our system of government is broken. Until Democrats acknowledge that sore point, and introduce constructive ways to remedy the situation, Congress will continue to operate as if it is still 1929.