The Michigan GOP backed a measure on Saturday that would allocate the state's electoral college votes by congressional districts, reviving energy for a plan considered by Republicans in several states after the inauguration but one that seemed dead about a month ago.
At the state's party convention in Lansing, members backed a resolution to take away Michigan's winner-take-all system by a 1,370-132 margin. The proposal -- introduced by state Rep. Pete Lund (Shelby Township) -- would allocate 14 of the state's 16 votes by district, and the remaining two to the statewide winner. That system is similar to Maine and Nebraska, the only states to allocate by district.
If the plan had been in effect in 2012, 10 of Michigan's electoral college votes would have gone to President Barack Obama, while six would have gone to Mitt Romney.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), however, threw cold water on the idea, saying that it was "not the appropriate time" to discuss the plan, according to the Detroit News. Addressing the initiative before a census and in a bipartisan way would be more fitting, he said.
Following Obama's second inauguration, Republicans in several blue states -- backed by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus -- considered changing their state's electoral college allocation to allocate votes by congressional district. A Huffington Post analysis showed that such allocation in all 50 states would have given us a President Romney in 2012. Republicans retained a majority in the House but lost the House popular vote, thanks largely to gerrymandered districting.
However, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Ken Cuccinnelli oppose such a move and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has since voiced concerns about it after being initially open to the idea. Thirteen Pennsylvania Republican legislators proposed another bill to change the state's allocation earlier this month.
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