Resolution of Massachusetts to Abolish the Electoral College
5/15/1969
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We don’t actually vote for President. We vote for the electoral college, whose members then vote for the candidate of our choice.
This resolution was sent by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to Congress, requesting that they initiate the process to create a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College system and implement a direct popular election for President and Vice President. The resolution argues that the Electoral College system is archaic, undemocratic, and dangerous because of the possibility of deadlock.
The first efforts to abolish the Electoral College came right after the 1800 election debacle, but the proposed amendment did not pass Congress.
This resolution was sent by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to Congress, requesting that they initiate the process to create a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College system and implement a direct popular election for President and Vice President. The resolution argues that the Electoral College system is archaic, undemocratic, and dangerous because of the possibility of deadlock.
The first efforts to abolish the Electoral College came right after the 1800 election debacle, but the proposed amendment did not pass Congress.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
National Archives Identifier: 24200387
Full Citation: Resolutions of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to Amend the Constitution to Abolish the Electoral College and Establish Direct Popular Election of the President; 5/15/1969; Petitions Received by the Committee on the Judiciary during the 91st Congress; Committee Papers, 1813 - 2011; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/massachusetts-abolish-electoral-college, October 13, 2024]Activities that use this document
- Flaws of the Electoral College System
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