Members of the Republican National Committee recently received an anonymous e-mail alerting them to an op-ed that Saul Anuzis wrote with Rhett Ruggerio, a former member of the Democratic National Committee, in the June 2010 edition of Campaigns and Elections. The piece, “Making Presidential Campaigns National,” recommends that states allocate their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Anuzis and Ruggerio explain:
The bill would take effect only when enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes — that is, enough electoral votes to elect a president (270 of 538). . . .
This reform of our presidential election system would guarantee that every vote matters, that every state is relevant and that every town and community would have the same value to each and every candidate for president in every presidential election.
The proposal has worried some members. “I think that it may lose him some votes,” says Donna Gosney, the committeewoman from West Virginia and, admittedly, a supporter of Ann Wagner. Yet Bill Crocker, the committeeman from Texas and a supporter of the former Michigan GOP chief, also voiced some concerns.
“I had a quick e-mail exchange with him saying, ‘Look, what is this?’” Crocker says. “And he told me it was not a national primary and it would not do away with the Electoral College. I’ve got enough faith in Saul to believe it’s not something completely off the wall.” Furthermore, Crocker thinks the proposal is “not going to be significant” in the election.