Question

Suppose the state of New Mexico should decide that it wants its electoral votes to be awarded not all to the same candidate, but proportionally according to the share of popular votes that various candidates receive in the general election. Which of the following would be the easiest way permitted by the Constitution to make that change?A) Congress in Washington DC would have to pass legislation and the president would have to sign it. B) A new major political party would need to be created. C) The state legislature would have to pass a law that the governor would approve.D) The Constitution of the United States would need to be changed to change the system for assigning electors

Answer 1

The easiest and constitutional method for New Mexico to switch to a proportional electoral vote system is for the state legislature to pass a law and the governor to approve it.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the state of New Mexico wishes to change its method of allocating electoral votes to a proportional system rather than the current 'winner-take-all' system, the easiest way permitted by the Constitution to make this change would be option C: The state legislature would have to pass a law that the governor would approve. This method is in accordance with Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives states the power to determine how their electors are chosen. This approach is how Nebraska and Maine have adopted their current systems for allocating electoral votes, where they divide their electoral votes, with a share going to the winner of each congressional district and the remaining two going to the statewide winner.

Answer 2

D) The Constitution of the United States would need to be changed to change the system for assigning electors

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the Unites States of America Constitution, the election carried out at either the federal level of state level is based on the electoral college votes rather than the popular vote of the citizens. This means that, the party with the highest percentage of electoral college vote wins the whole electoral votes coming from that state.

In the case of New Mexico State, the easiest way to enforce their wishes of assigning proportional electoral votes according to shares of popular votes gathered during the election would be through the chnging of the consitution of the United States of America.