News Archive
Bayh Lecture Entered into U.S. Congressional Record
10/01/2020
The IU McKinney Law Birch Bayh Lecture, “A New Engine for a New Age: Birch Bayh, the Electoral College and the Push for a National Popular Vote,” was entered into the Congressional Record on September 29 at the request of Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin.
In his remarks, “Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Defeat of Abolishing the Electoral College,” U.S. Rep. Raskin said:
“Madam Speaker, In September 1969, Senator Birch Bayh, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments, introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College. The amendment passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and with support from President Richard Nixon. But on this day 50 years ago, the amendment was blocked by a filibuster in the Senate.”
Rep. Raskin continued:
“At this moment of profound constitutional stress and recurring global and domestic threats to democratic values and practices, we should remember the Senator's passionate commitment to building democratic self-government that serves as an instrument of the common good. Senator Bayh recognized that, in order to make sure that all votes count in our presidential elections and all votes count equally, it will be necessary to abolish the electoral college--or at least transform it through the National Popular Vote interstate agreement. I was honored to work with Senator Bayh, who was a great gentleman and patriot, during my time as a State Senator and he definitely helped us to make Maryland the first state to pass the National Popular Vote Agreement.
“Madam Speaker, I wish to include in the Record a speech by New York Times Editorial Board Member Jesse Wegman for the annual Birch Bayh Lecture given at University of Indiana McKinney School of Law in honor of Senator Bayh's historic efforts towards electoral reform and in recognition of the melancholy day of defeat of the popular vote in the Senate on September 29, 1969.”
The 2020 Bayh lecture was originally presented on September 17 as a virtual event featuring Jesse Wegman, journalist, author and editorial board member of The New York Times, and in recognition of the nation’s Constitution Day.
Wegman is the author of a book, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, published in March 2020. In his IU McKinney Law lecture, he offered a behind-the-scenes recounting of his discussion on the subject with Bayh, and his admiring portrait of the late Hoosier politician’s life that didn’t make it into the book.
The Birch Bayh Lecture was established at IU McKinney in honor of former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh. The series is made possible through the generous contributions of the Simon Property Group, where Senator Bayh served on the board for 17 years, and the friends of Birch Bayh, focuses on issues of importance to Senator Bayh throughout his long and distinguished career in government.
