This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The present procedure of the Electoral College can lead to problems, as electors of the Electoral College are not bound to vote in accordance with their pledged vote. The time periods between the election of electors in November, the voting by the electors in December, and the counting of the ballots in January creates a situation of uncertainty, anxiety and possible mischief. Any national catastrophe during this time can cause further chaos.

A proposed amendment eliminates the election of electors, but instead assigns virtual electors of each state and Washington D.C. These virtual electors are assigned on the winner-take-all basis. The president/vice-president team that had the majority of the electoral votes would be the president-elect and vice president-elect. If no team had a majority of the electoral college votes (because of other parties), then the team that received the greatest total number of popular votes would be the president/vice president elect, provided that they received at least 35 percent of the popular vote.

Grant Rees

Logan