Changing the Rules to Rig Elections

State Sen. Dominic Pileggi has introduced SB 538.  This bill would change the way Pennsylvania awards its electoral votes.  This affects presidential elections.  Right now Pennsylvania, like all but two other states, awards all its electoral college votes to whichever candidate wins the popular vote in the state.

Pileggi's bill would award two of Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote and divide the other 18 votes by percentage of popular vote results.  Dividing electoral votes was suggested by Republicans (including RNC Chair Reince Priebus):

Republicans alarmed at the apparent challenges they face in winning the White House are preparing an all-out assault on the Electoral College system in critical states, an initiative that would significantly ease the party's path to the Oval Office.

Senior Republicans say they will try to leverage their party's majorities in Democratic-leaning states in an effort to end the winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes. Instead, bills that will be introduced in several Democratic states would award electoral votes on a proportional basis. ("The GOP's electoral college scheme," by Reid Wilson, National Journal 12/17/2012).

These bills are only being introduced in states that have voted Democratic in recent presidential elections.  Republican states are keeping the "winner take all" standard electoral plan.  Thus Republicans would gain electoral votes in Democratic states without losing any of the votes in Republican states.   

The Republican State Senators in Pennsylvania who supported Pileggi's bill are:

PILEGGI, SCARNATI, WARD, ALLOWAY, MENSCH, EICHELBERGER, RAFFERTY, FOLMER, ERICKSON, GREENLEAF, TOMLINSON, BROWNE AND YAW

If your senator is on the list and you have strong feelings you might get in touch with them.