LAMB OF GOD’s RANDY BLYTHE: Why We Should Abolish Electoral College

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe has called for an overhaul of the Electoral College, one of the oldest institutions in the U.S. political system. The Electoral College is based on the fundamental system of electing presidents by 50 simultaneous statewide elections (plus D.C.) rather than a raw national popular vote. George W. Bush and Donald Trump both lost the national popular vote in their respective elections in 2000 and 2016, but went on to become president. Speaking about how some state officials are using the coronavirus outbreak to institute draconian orders, often without going through the democratic process of getting a vote from state legislatures, Blythe told Illinois Entertainer in a new interview: "Everybody's attention is so consumed with staying alive right now, that there's a lot of shady shit going on. You have to dig for it, but it is so shady." Blythe, one of extreme metal's most politically aware musicians who has written about social and political issues in the past, continued: "Did you see what just happened in Milwaukee with their primary? They could have delayed, but Republicans insisted, so people had to choose between their health and voting for a Democratic candidate. And there were five polling centers in a city of 600,000. "Dude, it is so fucking crazy," he added. "And it is insidious. It's systematic. So I don't have any idea what's gonna happen with the election. But if you think of our country and its Constitution, its base values, I believe they are sound. But they need to be updated, like an older computer getting its operating system updated. Our system needs an overhaul, bad. And I would think that would entail getting rid of the Electoral College, for one thing. It's an archaic concept, and it's so easily manipulated by voting-district gerrymandering." Randy previously proposed disabling the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote during a 2004 interview with Domain Cleveland. He stated at the time: "There is a lot of voter apathy and I'm not too happy with our electoral system. I would rather have the popular vote win, rather then the Electoral College. That's just me, call me idealistic. But since we are living in a republic and not a democracy, we have the Electoral College." On Monday, Wisconsin Republicans suffered a defeat, just days after forcing Wisconsin voters to risk their health and go to the polls. Liberal Dane County Judge Jill Karofsky defeated conservative Justice Daniel Kelly, an incumbent backed by President Donald Trump, in a race for a 10-year seat on the state's Supreme Court. Blythe is currently promoting LAMB OF GOD's new, self-titled album, which will be released on May 8 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. The follow-up to 2015's "VII: Sturm Und Drang" marks LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band last year as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.