Press Release from Michigan State Rep. Pete Lund (R, District 36)
November 13, 2014

Lund introduces bill to award Electoral College votes proportionally in Michigan

Michigan would play a more prominent role in presidential elections under sweeping legislation introduced today by state Rep. Pete Lund that would more fairly award Michigan’s Electoral College votes.

Under the bill, the winner of the presidential election in Michigan would be awarded on a proportional basis.  This way, the winner of the popular vote still wins the majority of the electoral votes, while the other candidate would still receive a portion of the vote.

“Michigan is a flyover state for presidential elections, which causes us to miss out on more than simply political ads,” said Lund, R-Shelby Township.  “Candidates running for president currently don’t feel the need to come to Michigan in order to win.  This proposal would make Michigan an important state for these candidates to visit, forcing them to speak on issues affecting our state, and more importantly, create policies that benefit all Michigan residents.”

The plan being proposed by Lund would give the winner of 50-percent plus one of the popular vote the majority of the Electoral College votes.  After that, every one-and-a-half percent of the vote would earn an extra elector for that candidate.

This aspect makes the plan different from a previous plan introduced by Lund, which would have split the Electoral College vote by congressional district.

“This bill guarantees the winner of the popular vote still gets the majority of electors while making Michigan an important state for presidential elections,” Lund said.   “Making Michigan a state these candidates have to compete in will bring more attention to the issues facing residents of our state.  What’s important to the people of Michigan needs to get attention from and be discussed by these candidates.”

The bill is House Bill 5974 and has been referred to the House Committee on Elections and Ethics.

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HOUSE BILL No. 5974

 
November 13, 2014, Introduced by Rep. Lund and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.
 
     A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
 
"Michigan election law,"
 
by amending section 42 (MCL 168.42), as amended by 1999 PA 216.
 
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
 
     Sec. 42. (1) In the year in which presidential electors are to
 
be elected under section 43, each political party in this state
 
shall choose at its fall state convention a number of candidates
 
for electors of president and vice-president of the United States
 
equal to the number of senators and representatives in congress
 
that this state is entitled to elect. The chairperson and the
 
secretary of the state central committee of each political party
 
shall, within 1 business day after the conclusion of the state
 
convention, forward by registered or certified mail a certificate
 
containing the names of the candidates for electors to the

 
secretary of state. The candidates for electors of president and
 
vice-president who shall be considered elected are those whose
 
names have been certified to the secretary of state by that
 
political party receiving the greatest number of votes for those
 
offices at the next November election.
 
     (2) PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS SHALL BE ALLOCATED AS FOLLOWS:
 
     (A) THE STATEWIDE POPULAR VOTE FOR THE TOP 2 CANDIDATES FOR
 
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SHALL BE ADDED TOGETHER.
 
     (B) THE POLITICAL PARTY OF THE CANDIDATE RECEIVING THE MOST
 
STATEWIDE POPULAR VOTES FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AS
 
CALCULATED UNDER SUBDIVISION (A), SHALL BE ALLOCATED 1/2 OF THE
 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS THIS STATE IS ENTITLED TO ELECT AS PROVIDED
 
UNDER SUBSECTION (1) PLUS 1 ADDITIONAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTOR. IF THE
 
NUMBER OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS ALLOCATED UNDER THIS SUBDIVISION IS
 
NOT A WHOLE NUMBER, THE NUMBER OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS ALLOCATED
 
SHALL BE ROUNDED DOWN TO THE NEAREST WHOLE NUMBER.
 
     (C) SUBJECT TO SUBDIVISION (D), IN ADDITION TO THE NUMBER OF
 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS ALLOCATED UNDER SUBDIVISION (B), THE
 
POLITICAL PARTY OF THE CANDIDATE RECEIVING THE MOST STATEWIDE
 
POPULAR VOTES FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AS CALCULATED
 
UNDER SUBDIVISION (A), SHALL BE ALLOCATED 1 ADDITIONAL PRESIDENTIAL
 
ELECTOR FOR EVERY 1.5% THAT THE CANDIDATE RECEIVES OVER 50% OF THE
 
STATEWIDE POPULAR VOTE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AS
 
CALCULATED UNDER SUBDIVISION (A).
 
     (D) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS ALLOCATED TO THE
 
POLITICAL PARTY OF THE CANDIDATE RECEIVING THE MOST STATEWIDE
 
POPULAR VOTES FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AS CALCULATED
 
UNDER SUBDIVISION (A), SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS THIS STATE IS ENTITLED TO ELECT AS PROVIDED
 
UNDER SUBSECTION (1).
 
     (E) ANY REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS THAT THIS STATE IS
 
ENTITLED TO ELECT AS PROVIDED UNDER SUBSECTION (1) THAT ARE NOT
 
ALLOCATED UNDER SUBDIVISIONS (B) AND (C) SHALL BE ALLOCATED TO THE
 
POLITICAL PARTY OF THE CANDIDATE RECEIVING THE SECOND MOST
 
STATEWIDE POPULAR VOTES FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AS
 
CALCULATED UNDER SUBDIVISION (A).
 
     (3) THE CANDIDATES FOR ELECTORS OF PRESIDENT AND VICE
 
PRESIDENT OF EACH POLITICAL PARTY WHO SHALL BE CONSIDERED ELECTED
 
ARE THOSE WHOSE NAMES HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE
 
UNDER SUBSECTION (1) AND WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED BY EACH POLITICAL
 
PARTY BASED ON THE ALLOCATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS UNDER
 
SUBSECTION (2).