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Poll shows voters favor current Electoral College system
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Registered voters in Pennsylvania favor retaining the current winner-take-all system in the Electoral College, according to a poll released Wednesday morning.
By a 52-40 percent margin, state voters said they want to continue the state's current election system, rather than switch to one in which Electoral College votes would be awarded based on the winner in each congressional district, the Quinnipiac University poll said.
The poll showed that voters said by 57-32 percent that Republicans in the state Legislature want the switch to help GOP presidential candidates rather than reflect the will of the voters. Voters also said by 51-38 percent that the switch would diminish Pennsylvania's importance as a key presidential swing state.
"Overall, most Pennsylvanians think the proposal is being presented to give partisan advantage to Republicans," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "By large margins, Democrats and independent voters are not buying that 'will of the voters' argument."
In the GOP race for president, state voters polled favor former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 18 percent. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is next with 16 percent, with 12 percent favoring former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.
The poll said that in the 2012 presidential election, President Barack Obama holds a 45-43 percent edge over Mr. Romney; Mr. Obama tops Mr. Perry, 46-40 percent; Mr. Obama leads Mr. Santorum, 45-42 percent.
First Published September 28, 2011 6:31 am
