Bill would split up Florida's electoral votes [View all]

[Tony_FLADEM]

The split would mean that all 29 votes would no longer go to the candidate who won the most votes statewide; they'd be awarded by congressional district.

Democratic Strategist Gary Yordon calls the bill an act of desperation.

“The Republicans are seeing what was once a purple state turning more and more blue,” said Yordon. “Independents registering in record numbers, I mean, really, it's slipping way.”

Florida’s not the only state looking at changing the rules.

Republican legislatures across the country are debating whether to split up their electors.

The bill could put potentially put the Republican Party in a prime position to re-capture the White House.

If Florida and five other swing states were to begin awarding their electoral votes based on which presidential candidate won each congressional district, that could be enough to hand the GOP an overwhelming advantage.

The bill's backers argue it's only fair and that Florida’s big Democratic-leaning cities have been drowning out the votes of people who live in the many more small towns that lean Republican.

Critics say that's the point, and dividing the state up would be a bad move.

Whatever comes to pass, it's enough to keep Florida squarely in the national spotlight as the race for the white house in 2016 begins.

Statehouse Republicans in Michigan and Pennsylvania are also unveiling bills to award electoral votes by congressional district.

So far, the only two states that actually do that are Maine and Nebraska.


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