RESULTS OF POLL OF POLITICAL SCIENTISTS' OPINIONS

ON ELECTORAL COLLEGE PROPOSALS

On June 7, 1961, Senator Estes Kefauver, chairman of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments, mailed a form letter and questionnaire to 766 of the Nation's political scientists. The mailing list used was the American Political Science Association's list of heads of departments of political science or government in American universities and colleges. This list does not include the names of such persons but lists them only by title and institution.

The following is the form letter mailed by Senator Kefauver:

U.S. SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS,
June 7, 1961.

DEAR SIR: Please accept my apology for not addressing this letter to you in person. I am writing similar letters to everyone on the American Political Science Association's mailing list of heads of departments, which lists such persons only by official title. This is the best available means of obtaining the views of a cross section of eminent political scientists on questions of unique interest to them and great importance to the country.

The Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments is conducting hearings on 20 resolutions which propose amendments concerning our Federal elections system, including the method of nomination and election of the President and Vice President and qualifications for voting. If you desire digests or copies of these proposals, I will furnish them upon request.

You are doubtless familiar with the various plans which have been proposed for reform of the electoral college. The enclosed questionnaire is designed to poll the opinions of political scientists on these basic proposals. I urge you to complete and return the questionnaire, attaching any statement which you care to make. The results of this poll and your statement will be included in the printed record of the hearings, and I assure you that the subcommittee will give them careful consideration.

If you prefer not to complete the questionnaire personally for any reason, please feel free to refer it to another faculty member on your staff. Thank you very much for your assistance.

Sincerely yours,

ESTES KEFAUVER, Chairman.

(The following questionnaire was enclosed with each letter:)

POLITICAL SCIENTISTS' QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Do you favor any amendment to the Constitution which would change our present method of electing the President? Yes__ No_-_

2. Do you feel the office of elector should be abolished? Yes____ No____ 3. Do you favor retaining the present electoral voting strengths of the States? Yes__

No_‒‒‒ 4. Do you favor election of the President by national direct popular vote? Yes__ No_--

5. Do you favor a proportional division system by which each State's electoral votes would be divided according to percentages of the popular vote? Yes. No---

6. Do you favor a proportional division system which would divide only the electoral votes of States in which the minority candidate receives some minimum percentage of the popular vote? Yes__ No____

If so, what should this minimum percentage be?

7. Do you favor the district system under which two presidential electors would be elected at large and the balance in single-elector districts in each State? Yes__ No____

8. Do you favor some plan other than those mentioned? Yes____ No___ If so, please include a summary in your attached statement.

9. Do you favor any change in the present method of election of the President in the House of Representatives when no candidate receives a majority? Yes__

10. If so, do you favor election by a majority of the House and Senate in joint assembly with each Member having one vote? Yes__ No_-_

(Signature)

(Title)

NOTE. Please attach any statement or comments which you wish to make concerning your answers or the general subject under inquiry. Completed questionnaire should be returned by July 1, 1961.

As of July 18, 1961, 254 completed questionnaires had been returned. The following is a compilation of the answers to each question with percentage breakdowns for each:

ANSWERS TO POLITICAL SCIENTISTS' QUESTIONNAIRE

QUESTION NO. 1

Do you favor any amendment to the Constitution which would change our present method of electing the President? 1

Do you feel the office of elector should be abolished?

Do you favor retaining the present electoral voting strengths of the States?

For tabulation purposes, these

1 Five questionnaires left question No. 1 unanswered. were allocated between "Yes" and "No" on the basis of answers to other questions indicating that the person either favored one or more of the proposed changes, or was opposed to all of them.

QUESTION NO. 4

Do you favor election of the President by national direct popular

vote?

Do you favor a proportional division system by which each State's electoral votes would be divided according to percentages of the popular vote?

Percentage of total 46.9

48.8

4.3

Do you favor a proportional division system which would divide only the electoral votes of States in which the minority candidate receives some minimum percentage of the popular vote? If so, what should this minimum percentage be? 1

Do you favor the district system under which two presidential electors would be selected at large and the balance in single-elector districts in each State?

Do you favor some plan other than those mentioned?

The breakdown of the answers to this question is as follows: 4, 5 percent; 11, 10 percent; 2, 15 percent; 11, 20 percent; 9, 25 percent; 3, 30 percent; 2, 33.33 percent; 1, 35 percent; 2. 40 percent and 2 written answers: (1) "He should carry at least a number equal to population of smallest congressional district," and (2) "Enough to account fully for 1 elector."

70784-61-pt. 811

Do you favor any change in the present method of election of the President in the House of Representatives when no candidate receives a majority?

If so, do you favor election by a majority of the House and Senate in joint assembly with each member having one vote?

[An asterisk (*) indicates that the person submitted a statement along with his completed questionnaire. These statements are printed in alphabetical order following the list of participants in the poll]

Costello, (Rev.) Frank B., S.J.. Seattle University.

LIST OF PARTICIPATING POLITICAL SCIENTISTS-Continued

[An asterisk (*) indicates that the person submitted a statement along with his completed questionnaire. These statements are printed in alphabetical order following the list of