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Governor Hochul: “We, the people, forming a more perfect union, and I strongly believe that the people of New York State and the United States of America, should and must have their votes count equally, and that the popular vote should prevail. It's time to amend the Constitution and relegate the institution of the Electoral College to the history books.”
Earlier today, Governor Hochul presided over the 60th general proceedings of the New York State Electoral College in Albany. As part of the proceedings, Governor Hochul announced her support for a Constitutional Amendment for a national popular vote for President and putting an end to the Electoral College.
VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4). The event with ASL is available to stream on YouTube here.
AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.
PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Thank you. And today, as we gather to reflect on our solemn duties as participants in the Electoral College, we are aware that this institution dates back to the founding of our nation almost 250 years ago. So there's a sense of history, tradition, pride, but for some like me, there's also a questioning.
Now historians tell us that the Electoral College was a result of compromise devised by our founders in search of a consensus, when a unified United States of America simply didn't exist. And in many regards, we honor the talents, the wisdom, and the genius of our Founding Fathers. But there are shortcomings that still impact us today.
I believe that we must reflect on whether the time for this particular institution, the Electoral College, has passed. Now recall that the Constitution has ratified, also contain provisions that we consider abhorrent, such as women and people of color being denied the fundamental right in a democracy, the right to vote, the founders themselves created a path to amend our Constitution, to keep it a living document, to be adapted as future generations and circumstances and times require.
For the Electoral College, that time has come. Unfairly, less populated states have outsized influence, and in effect, the votes of their residents count more than the residents of a state like New York.
Consider that a single elector in Wyoming, no offense to Wyoming, represents 200,000 residents. And in New York, an elector like you represent 700,000. And this convoluted process also leads candidates for president to spend an inordinate amount of time in a few swing states, rather than appealing to the voters of our entire country.
And in the worst case scenario, it means that a person can become president of the United States, even if he or she did not win the popular vote. Something I recall as I sat in this room, right there, next to President Bill Clinton when we were both electors in 2016. In short, the Electoral College does not contribute to the overriding objectives set forth in our great Constitution.
We, the people, forming a more perfect union, and I strongly believe that the people of New York State and the United States of America, should and must have their votes count equally, and that the popular vote should prevail. It's time to amend the Constitution and relegate the institution of the Electoral College to the history books.
As Governor of the Empire State and President of this Electoral College, I'm ready to do my part. Thank you.