DeCROCE OFFERS LEGISLATION TO CHANGE THE WAY NEW JERSEY APPORTIONS ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES

(Parsippany, NJ ) Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-Morris, Essex, Passaic)  has submitted legislation that would change the way New Jersey apportions its 14 electoral college votes in the next presidential election.

The Assemblywoman’s bill proposes to change the awarding of Electoral College votes from a winner take all system to a congressional district system that would assign votes based on the candidate who wins the most votes in each of the state’s 12 congressional districts. The other two electoral votes would go to the overall winner of the state vote tally.

DeCroce said the change would  force presidential candidates  to work harder for the state’s vote and would give New Jersey more influence in Washington when lawmakers consider legislation.

She pointed to the current debate in Congress on a tax reform bill that would eliminate the tax deduction for property taxes and state income taxes as an example.

“The Republican White House and members of  Congress from my own party view New Jersey as merely a  hopelessly Blue State so there is little concern among members of Congress for how the new tax bill may impact state residents,” said DeCroce.

Conversely, she said, congressional Democrats take New Jersey for granted. Despite having two Democratic U.S  Senators and a Democratic House of Representative majority,  New Jersey is last in the nation in getting a return on tax money  from Washington. 

“Being viewed as a purely Blue State has drawbacks that are very  evident every four years,” said DeCroce, a businesswoman. “Presidential candidates spend relatively little time in New Jersey, except to fly in for fundraisers and leave the same day. They really know nothing about our state’s issues.

“If we had an Electoral College system that gave candidates something to fight for, we would get more respect from the presidential candidates, the President and Congress,” added DeCroce.

Currently two states — Maine and Nebraska – employ a congressional district system.

The Assemblywoman said more states should consider the change.

“Under the winner take all system currently employed by the state, the 1.6 million people In New Jersey who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 are not recognized at all,” said DeCroce. “I think the  apportioning Electoral College votes by congressional district would give more people a reason to come out and vote,” she added

The Assemblywoman said, however, she is not in favor of abandoning the Electoral College system of choosing a president.

“Our Founding Fathers created the electoral system for a reason. They recognized that our nation is a collection of individual states with different regional  interests, not just an amalgam of people. They created a  system that provides regional balance and mitigates against what they viewed as the ‘tyranny of the majority’ and I don’t see a reason to change that system,” said DeCroce.