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1/ @JonahDispatch claims polarization is why Americans want to abolish the Electoral College. That’s wrong. Ditching the EC has been popular (even more popular than today) in every decade since Gallup began surveying opinions on this in 1948. Some history... https://twitter.com/JonahDispatch/status/1305910915745886216
2/ In 1948, Americans were 56% to 31% in favor of abolishing the EC (14% no opinion). In 1977, the support was overwhelming: George Gallup wrote: "By a 5-to-1 margin the public favors a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the Electoral College." https://news.gallup.com/vault/192704/gallup-vault-rejecting-electoral-college.aspx
3/ In the 1960s through 1980s, Americans overwhelmingly supported a constitutional amendment to create a national popular vote.
4/ Support for a popular vote has also been bipartisan until recently. There was a dip among Rs following Bush 2000. But it recovered: In 2011, self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all supported replacing the EC with a national popular vote.
6/ After 2016, support for abolishing the EC has shot up among Democrats fallen off a cliff among Republicans. So polarization does matter here, but not in the way @JonahDispatch seems to think. On net, polarization has eroded overall support for a constitutional amendment.
7/ In sum, greater polarization in recent years has coincided with *less* support for abolishing the EC. Intensity of support may be a different story, but we don’t have the data. Even so, as of 2019, Americans still favor a national popular vote 55% to 43%.
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