as they were then called—to be involved states. But the effect of that bias can be tracked, with the electors system. Legislators in state and scholars have said that bias did not elect legislatures who were members of political Donald Trump in 2016. parties later turned the electors system over Presidential candidates, at least in the to the parties, which now choose their elector current political climate, devote their heavicandidates at state party conventions. est effort not to large or small states but to • The founders also wanted the electors to whichever states are gettable. Since the era be free agents, so that if the voters chose an of extreme partisan polarization began in the unfit candidate, they would feel free to choose Gingrich period, states have become locked a different president. Partisan legislators, up for one party or the other early in including Nevada’s, later passed presidential campaigns.There are state laws requiring that electors then usually about a dozen “swing be pledged and bound to their states” that are still up for grabs. “This political parties. Those are the ones that get arrangement is • Nor did the foundthe most attention from the ers want winner-take-all presidential campaigns. not in the state’s distribution of electors. “The National Popular Vote, best interests.” [proportional] district mode which supports the compact, was mostly, if not exclusively reports that “94 percent of the Gov. Steve Sisolak in view when the Constitution 2016 [presidential campaign] was framed and adopted; & was events (375 of the 399) were in 12 exchanged for the general ticket states.” [winner-take-all],” wrote James Madison As one of those battleground states, when state legislatures started adding winnerNevada—which was still competitive—did take-all to the founders’ system. All states rather well in that competition for attention, except Nebraska and Maine now overlay this receiving 17 campaign visits, more than any process atop the electors system. other Western state except Colorado (19). If Though Sisolak argues that Nevada, under Nevada had not still been gettable, it would not the proposed compact, would have “a greatly have drawn so many candidate visits, no matter diminished voice in the outcome of national its electoral votes. The most populous state electoral contests,” he does not explain how. of all, California, received only one such visit Because a state’s number of electoral because it was locked up early, even though it votes is based on the number of its member of was the richest electoral vote prize. Ω Congress, a built-in bias resulting from the two Senate seats given to each state favors small
Biker folks visit
The Street Vibrations special event was back in town last week, and from all indications it still seems to rattle the casinos, though grateful for the business. There were lots of warning posters about not wearing gang colors, guns and such. Of course, those posters were often alongside posters advertising booze. PHOTO/DENNIS MYERS
06.13.19 | RN&R | 7