Modernization of the Presidential Election

Report Outline
Electoral Reforms Before the 81st Congress
The Constitution and Presidential Elections
Issues Raised by Proposed Reforms
Special Focus

Electoral Reforms Before the 81st Congress

The issue of presidential election reform—a hardy perennial of political discuss ion—has been advanced to the stage of definitive action by incidents connected with the surprise reelection of President Truman in 1948, and by fears of what might have happened if no candidate had won a majority in the electoral college last November.

A resolution to submit to the states a constitutional amendment which would abolish the electoral college, while retaining the electoral vote as a counting device and distributing that vote in proportion to the popular vote, is now awaiting action by Congress. Favorable reports by the Judiciary committees of the Senate and House strongly recommend adoption of the amendment as a part of the Constitution.

Sponsors of the electoral-reform amendment, Sen. Lodge (R., Mass.) and Rep. Gossett (D., Tex.), have announced that they will press for a decision soon after the 81st Congress convenes for its second session nest January. They believe the amendment will easily command the two-thirds majorities needed to send it on to the states, and that the process of ratification by three-fourths of the legislatures may be completed in time for the 1952 presidential election.