I noticed this morning that when typing "population" into the Google search bar, the Wizards in the ether correctly guessed that I was interested in the population of Puerto Rico, which I now know to be a titch over 3.4 million. So it seems I may be among the legions whose geographical knowledge is on the rise, thanks to a catastrophic event. It would be cool if we were joined by our president, who keeps saying that Puerto Rico is "in the middle of the ocean."
If you're looking for context, Puerto Rico falls between Connecticut (3.6 million) and Iowa (3.1 million) in an ordered list of states and territories by population. It's also true that there are more Americans in Puerto Rico than in the four smallest states (North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming) combined. If Puerto Rico were a state, its population would entitle it to 7 electoral votes. Some might be tempted to say that Trump would not be tweeting insults at Puerto Rico if it had 7 electoral votes. But that's probably wrong, because Puerto Rico would be strongly Democratic, and the Electoral College causes candidates to ignore states they can't win. (It also causes them to ignore states they can't lose.) Indeed, one thing Republicans fear is that the catastrophe will result in lots more Puerto Ricans living in Florida, which has 29 electoral votes that can go either way. Those Puerto Ricans would suddenly have a voice. The ones who move to New York, however--not so much. You don't get extra electoral votes for winning by a lot. So, move to Florida and maybe swing the whole election to the Democrats, or to New York and be a wasted, forgotten "extra vote."
Here's another thing that's true: Puerto Rico, despite its larger population, would if it were itself a state have five fewer electoral votes (7) than those four smallest states have together (12). More people, fewer electoral votes--because the "more people" would be within a single state. It's hard to argue that the Electoral College is unconstitutional, since it's established in the Constitution. But the Constitution also guarantees everyone, for example, "the equal protection of the laws." How can you enjoy that constitutional right if you don't have an equal voice in the selection of officials, including the president, who decide what the laws will be and how they will be administered?
One person, one vote! Support the National Popular Vote movement. It brings the Electoral College into line with more basic constitutional principles.
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