H.B. 652, Simple, but VERY Dangerous!
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, February 16, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
H.B. 652 might sound like a ho-hum bill about a ho-hum issue, but it’s not. It would remove Georgia law requiring the Secretary of State to keep up with Georgia electors to the Electoral College.
The Electoral College was part of the Great Compromise between big states and little states when the 13 colonies were transformed into a constitutional republic, and it’s as necessary today as it was then.
The Electoral College allows all states, regardless of size, to be players in the national process of electing the president and vice president. Each state is allotted electors in the Electoral College according to its congressional delegation, that’s comprised of two senators, plus the state’s allotted number of U.S. representatives. That process assures equal representation. Since Georgia has two senators and 16 U.S. House members, Georgia has 18 electors in the Electoral College and they vote every four years.
Having the Electoral College meant only Florida votes had to be recounted in the 2000 election. Without the Electoral College, other states could have demanded recounts. But, this might be thebest reason for having the Electoral College: The Electoral College is the only function of national government that is performed outside of Washington, and no senator, representative, or other federal official is allowed to be an elector in the Electoral College.Current Georgia law requires the Secretary of State to identify electors that have not been heard from in three years, but H.B. 652 was introduced to repeal that. (a) If that law is repealed, there would be no way to determine whether Georgia’s 18 electors are alive or would be available to vote in the next presidential election.
(b) Repealing that law could be clearing the way for a national popular vote, which was pushed in 2009 by Senator Orrock’s S.B. 134; in 2016 by Representative Ehrhart’s H.B. 929 and Senator Shafer’s S.B. 376. Those bills died, but Senator Henson’s S.B. 64 of 2017 is still alive. This year Representative Trammell’s H.B. 652 is more subtle than those bills, but it would repeal the Secretary of State’s responsibility to keep tabs on Georgia’s delegation to the Electoral College.
For all those reasons, call Representative Rynders at 404 656-6801 and ask him to keep H.B. 652 in committee. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.