Report by Paula Antolini
February 25, 2017 8:10PM EDT
Senate Republicans Stand in Support of Electoral College
February 22, 2017 – Hartford – Today Connecticut Senate Republicans submitted testimony to the Government Administration and Elections Committee in support of the Electoral College System.
Senator Michael McLachlan (R-Danbury) introduced legislation this year to affirm the state’s support of the current system of the Electoral College. Today, Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano (R-North Haven) and Deputy Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) submitted testimony on behalf of their caucus in support of McLachlan’s Proposed Senate Joint Resolution 11 Recognizing the Current Electoral College System as the Best Way to Elect the President of the United States.
“The Electoral College is a vital element of our nation’s democracy. We are an incredible country built on diversity and strengthened by our differences. The expansiveness and inclusiveness of our country requires a system that respects the votes of all people from all places. We believe the Electoral College is the best system designed for that task,” the senators stated in their written testimony.
The testimony explains how the Electoral College system is intended to prevent a single state or single region from deciding a presidential election. The result is that anyone elected president must have national support from people throughout the United States so that the nation’s leader represents the voices of people from all different parts of the country.
“Without the Electoral College system, the votes from Connecticut residents, with our seven Electoral College votes, would be made inconsequential when a candidate could take the presidency by campaigning in only the most populous states or regions: California, Texas, Florida, and New York,” the senators’ testimony states. “The Electoral College aims to protect the voices of people in all states. Without it, larger states could easily overpower the voices of people throughout our country.”
Proposed Senate Joint Resolution 11 is available here: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2017/TOB/s/2017SJ-00011-R00-SB.htm
Complete testimony is attached.
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