10 November 2000
CONTACT: David Enrich
(909) 607-7209
true_democracy@yahoo.com

GRASSROOTS EFFORT PRESSURES ELECTORS TO CHANGE VOTES; LOBBIES CONGRESS TO ABOLISH ELECTORAL COLLEGE

November 10, 2000: In the wake of what appears to be the first divergence between the popular and electoral votes in more than a century, Citizens for True Democracy today launched a national grassroots campaign to abolish the Electoral College.

CTD's innovative campaign includes:

• a petition drive to document public opposition to the Electoral College;
  
  
• an online action center for faxing pre-written messages to Congress;
  
  
• and a groundbreaking effort to pressure Electoral College members to vote for the national popular vote winner.

CTD is targeting electors in four states that voted for George W. Bush but do NOT legally require their electors to vote for their party's official candidate. The electors' names and contact information are posted on CTD's web site -- www.truedemocracy.org -- which also offers a sample message for concerned citizens to pass on to electors. "If the Electoral College contradicts the nation's popular vote, American democracy will face a serious legitimacy crisis," the message warns. "You have the power to help our nation avert this crisis.... Patriotism should come before partisanship."

A recent ABC News survey shows that Americans favor direct presidential elections over the Electoral College by a two-to-one margin. "The Electoral College is anti-democratic and unfair," says CTD director David Enrich. "This election will sow the seeds for its abolition."

Current projections indicate that Bush will win the electoral vote 271 to 267, even though Al Gore will win the popular vote by approximately 200,000 votes. This will be only the fourth time in U.S. history -- and the first time since 1888 -- that the new president loses the popular vote.

CTD is working with Electoral College members, congressional staffers, and public interest organizations to:

• raise awareness about the Electoral College's problems;
  
  
• pressure Congress to amend the Constitution;
  
  
• and ask electors to support the people's will.

TrueDemocracy.org, the campaign's centerpiece, provides tools that allow visitors to contact their Members of Congress, urging them to replace the Electoral College with direct elections. Visitors can also voice their support for instant run-off voting.

Citizens for True Democracy is a public interest organization based in Southern California. Since its founding in 1998, CTD has worked to repeal the Electoral College and to improve political participation via other electoral reforms.