Illegal immigrants and the electoral college

Something to ponder as the dreary weekend grinds on…the effect of illegal immigrants and other non-U.S. citizens on the electoral college map, from my WaPo writing partner Paul Goldman and GMU Prof. Mark Rozell. Snip:

…counting illegal immigrants and noncitizens significantly reduces the chances of the GOP winning the presidency. Given Obama’s winning margins last time in Florida, Ohio and Virginia, a GOP path to winning 27 states is credible at this point in the presidential cycle. But due to the Electoral College math, this only gives Republicans 266 electoral votes, not 270.

We understand counting illegal immigrants and noncitizens in the census. Accurate population counts are essential to sound decision-making. Census numbers are used to allocate governmental resources. But we fail to find any persuasive reason to allow the presence of illegal immigrants, unlawfully in the country, or noncitizens generally, to play such a potentially crucial role in picking a President. Choosing a nation’s leader should be a privilege reserved for her citizens.

There are, however, no quick fixes to this situation. There seems little chance the states will ratify a constitutional amendment dumping the Electoral College in favor of voters directly electing the President. Amending the 14th Amendment to change the “whole persons” formulation for apportioning House of Representative seats is equally unlikely.

If the United States elected its chief executive as it is done in Mexico—direct election by those citizens eligible to vote—then the inclusion of noncitizens in the census wouldn’t result in any impact on the presidential winner. In Mexico, a U.S. non-citizen illegally or legally in the country isn’t counted in the presidential election math. Any other result would create an uproar among Mexican citizens. And rightly so. If counting illegal immigrants and noncitizens in the Electoral College decides the presidency next year here in America, there would rightly be an uproar on this side of the border as well.

You should read the whole thing, because the article’s tone does not match the trollish headline Politico slapped on top of it (though it got them a Drudge link, which made some editor’s day).

This is not something to dismiss out of hand. It’s a potential flash point — and not just in the event of a close election. Is it an argument to get rid of the electoral college entirely? Tempest in a teapot? Breitbart bait?

Сейчас уже никто не берёт классический кредит, приходя в отделение банка. Это уже в далёком прошлом. Одним из главных достижений прогресса является возможность получать кредиты онлайн, что очень удобно и практично, а также выгодно кредиторам, так как теперь они могут ссудить деньги даже тем, у кого рядом нет филиала их организации, но есть интернет. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi.html - это один из сайтов, где заёмщики могут заполнить заявку на получение кредита или микрозайма онлайн. Посетите его и оцените удобство взаимодействия с банками и мфо через сеть.