,,ia  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,j4 ,,res4 #g  ,,in ,,the ,,house   
,,of ,,representatives  ,january #c1    
#bjai,mr4 ,cohen 7for himself1 ,mr4     
,cooper1 ,mr4 ,garamendi1 and ,ms4      
,brownley of ,california7 submitted the 
following joint resolution2 which was   
referred to the ,committee on the       
,judiciary  ,,joint ,,resolution        
,proposing an amendment to the          
,constitution of the ,united ,states to 
abolish the electoral college and to    
provide for the direct election of the  
,president and ,vice ,president of the  
,united ,states4  ,whereas the ,founders
 of the ,nation established the         
electoral college in an era of limited  
nationwide communication and information
 sharing2 ,whereas the electoral college
 is premised on an antiquated theory    
that citizens will have a better chance 
of knowing about electors from their    
home ,states than about ,presidential   
candidates from out of ,state2 ,whereas 
the development of mass media and the   

,internet has made information about    
,presidential candidates easily         
accessible to ,united ,states citizens  
across the country and around the world2
 ,whereas citizens now have a far better
 chance of knowing about out-of-,state  
,presidential candidates than about     
,presidential electors from their home  
,state2 ,whereas ,thomas ,jefferson     
wrote1 8,i am not an advocate for       
frequent changes in laws and            
constitutions1 but laws and institutions
 must go hand in hand with the progress 
of the human mind4 ,as that becomes more
 developed1 more enlightened1 as new    
discoveries are made1 new truths        
discovered and manners and opinions     
change1 with the change of              
circumstances1 institutions must advance
 also to keep pace with the times4 ,we  
might as well require a man to wear     
still the coat which fitted him when a  
boy as civilized society to remain ever 
under the regimen of their barbarous    
ancestors402 ,whereas since the         

,nation's founding1 ,united ,states     
citizens have amended the ,constitution 
to expand the opportunity for citizens  
to directly elect their elected leaders2
 ,whereas the #aeth ,amendment          
guarantees the right of all citizens to 
vote regardless of race2 ,whereas the   
#aith ,amendment guarantees the right of
 all citizens to vote regardless of     
gender2 ,whereas the #bfth ,amendment   
guarantees the right of all citizens #ah
 years of age and older to vote         
regardless of age2 ,whereas the #agth   
,amendment establishes both a precedent 
and a preference for the direct election
 of citizens' elected representatives2  
and ,whereas the electoral college has  
become an anachronism3 ,now1 therefore1 
be it ,that the following article is    
proposed as an amendment to the         
,constitution of the ,united ,states1   
which shall be valid to all intents and 
purposes as part of the ,constitution   
when ratified by the legislatures of    
three-fourths of the several ,states    

within seven years after the date of its
 submission for ratification3   --  #a4 
,the ,president and ,vice ,president    
shall be elected by the people of the   
several ,states and the district        
constituting the seat of government of  
the ,united ,states4  #b4 ,the electors 
in each ,state shall have the           
qualifications requisite for electors of
 the most populous branch of the        
legislature of the ,state2 although     
,congress may establish uniform age     
qualifications4  #c4 ,each elector shall
 cast a single vote for two persons who 
have consented to the joining of their  
names as candidates for ,president and  
,vice ,president4 ,no elector shall be  
prohibited from casting a vote for a    
candidate for ,president or ,vice       
,president because either candidate1 or 
both1 are inhabitants of the same ,state
 as the elector4  #d4 ,the pair of      
candidates having the greatest number of
 votes for ,president and ,vice         
,president shall be elected4  #e4 ,the  

times1 places1 and manner of holding    
such elections and entitlement to       
inclusion on the ballot shall be        
determined by ,congress4  #f4 ,the      
,congress may by law provide for the    
case of the death or any other          
disqualification of any candidate for   
,president or ,vice ,president before   
the day on which the ,president-elect or
 ,vice ,president-elect has been chosen2
 and for the case of a tie in any       
election4  #g4 ,this article shall take 
effect one year after the first day of  
,january following ratification4  4