Ocasio-Cortez brands Electoral College a racist scam, says it 'weighs white voters over voters of color'
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been majorly criticized by Republicans for branding the Electoral College a racist "scam" that tends to favor only white and rural states over those with sizeable minority populations.
The freshman congresswoman, 29, wants to do away with the current system so that the president is elected only through a popular vote. This would mean shifting the electoral strength solely to more populated states, including her home state of New York, the New York Post reports.
Furthermore, the much sought after "swing states", which comprise of midwestern states of Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as smaller states like Iowa, would have little or no impact on elections under this arrangement, as pointed out by GOP Sen. Joni Ernst.
“Actually @AOC, eliminating the Electoral College would silence our voices here in Iowa and in many other states across the country,” the Republican senator wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “This is just more evidence of how out of touch the Democrats have become.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also chimed in saying Ocasio-Cortez may have never taken a civics class per her statements. According to him, the “Electoral College is good for Dems and GOP.”
AOC is the latest lawmaker to join a number of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates in calling for the popular vote to be the only parameter to determine who wins the election, these include Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as well as South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
President Trump won the White House owing to the Electoral College after Hillary Clinton garnered almost 2.9 million more votes than he did, thereby frustrating Democrats.
In an Instagram story posted on Monday, Ocasio-Cortez was seen driving on a deserted highway while joking about how "many votes" would come from the barren landscape.
“Very efficient way to choose leadership of the country. I mean I can’t think of any other way, can you?” Ocasio-Cortez said in the clip. “Due to severe racial disparities in certain states, the Electoral College effectively weighs white voters over voters of color, as opposed to a ‘one person, one vote’ system where all our votes are counted equally."
That said, there are several states that are reportedly rooting for the proposed change in the laws.
Ocasio-Cortez's controversial claims came after a federal appeals court in Denver recently ruled that Electoral College members can vote for the presidential candidate of their choice and weren't bound by the popular vote in their respective states.