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   Madeline Rawley said on 2/20/2013 @ 6:39am PT: [Permalink]

   Dear Brad: Thanks for describing Pileggi/Corbett proportional allocation of electoral votes which is being sold here in Pennsylvania as “fair”. Have you been able to find or do an analysis of that proportional system that would illustrate why it isn’t fair – and could even at some point be disadvantageous to Republicans. Would someone like Nate Silver be able to analyze the numbers?
   Thank you for all you are doing for democracy.

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   David Lasagna said on 2/20/2013 @ 8:42am PT: [Permalink]

   Usual bang up job, Brad! Look forward to more of you on the lantern.

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   Brad Friedman said on 2/20/2013 @ 5:37pm PT: [Permalink]

   Madeline Rawley –

   While we didn’t have time to get into the weeds specifically, there are two different schemes that have been proposed to use the Electoral system in PA to game the results of the next Presidential election. Both schemes have been proposed in some of the other Dem-leaning, GOP-controlled states as well (such as Virginia, Wisconsin, etc.)

   The most unfair scheme would be to award electoral votes based on congressional districts which have, as of 2010, been gerrymandered such that awarding electoral votes on that basis would likely result in the Republican receiving more electoral votes, even as the Democrat won the statewide popular vote. That is, quite obviously, grossly unfair.

   The “more fair” version that is now being proposed in PA is to award the electoral votes proportionally. So, if the D wins 55% of the vote and the R wins 45% of the vote, they would split the number of electoral votes, essentially, by those percentages.

   While that seems more fair on its face, in that it would more accurately reflect the popular vote than the other scheme (which does exactly the opposite), it is still unfair in that it is only being done in one state, in order to decrease the number of electoral votes given to the D.

   If the GOP was really serious about “fairness” and trying to assure the popular vote is reflected in the electoral vote, they would call for doing away with the Electoral College all together. Though that would require a Constitutional Amendment, they could show a good faith effort by doing the same thing in states they control where the electoral votes are given “winner-take-all” to Republicans, like TX, SC, UT, etc.

   But they won’t do that. Because these schemes have nothing to do with either fairness or more accurately reflecting the popular vote. They are about rigging the electoral system in favor of the GOP. Period.