Voters beware—your vote for the president and the vice president – may become meaningless if the Legislature adopts a proposed bill that would change how Electoral College votes are allocated.

The League of Women Voters of Dearborn – Dearborn Heights urges you to contact your legislator, opposing HB 5974, which would change the way Michigan votes for the president of the United States. Currently, along with 47 other states, we use the “winner takes all” system that allocates all of our 16 Electoral College votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in Michigan.

HB 5974 would change the current system to one where the candidate who wins the statewide vote would get at least nine of the state’s 16 Electoral College votes and then an additional electoral vote for each 1.5 percent point increase in their margin over the second-place candidate. The second highest vote-getter would get the rest of the electoral votes.

Acording to Crain’s Detroit Business, if this bill had been in effect in 2012, President Obama would have received 12 of the state’s Electoral College votes and former Governor Romney would have received four.

This result would not have reflected the will of the majority of voters who supported the top candidate. Obama would have received only 12 electoral votes, not the entire 16, even though he won the popular vote in Michigan by 400,000 votes.

Tell your state Legislators and Governor Snyder that you do not want them to take away the “winner-take-all” basis for the Electoral College. 

-Betsy Cushman is the president is the League of Women Voters of Dearborn – Dearborn Heights