Last week, a state representative introduced a bill that would award Wisconsin's presidential electors to the winner of each congressional district. Under the proposal, authored by Rep. Gary Tauchen, R-Bonduel, the winner of a majority of the state's eight districts would be given Wisconsin's final two electors. We urge the state Assembly to reject this bill because it would significantly diminish Wisconsin's ability to participate in the campaign dialogue.

Ending Wisconsin's winner-take-all general election format would almost certainly minimize the state's impact on the presidential race, given the realities of the Electoral College. In 2004, the presidential candidates spent millions of dollars and an extraordinary amount of time campaigning for Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes. The simple fact is that splitting them in a state that John Kerry won by half a percentage point would make campaigning in the Badger State a fool's errand for candidates looking to strategically budget their time and money. Realistically, a candidate could only hope to gain three or four more electors than his opponent by devoting significant resources to Wisconsin.

Such a proposal might be more productive in large states dominated by one party, such as Texas and California, because it would offer the minority party a realistic chance to gain electors. While one could certainly argue that this bill would make Wisconsin's electoral delegation more representative of our state's ideological diversity, it is not worth eliminating the incentive for candidates to visit and address the concerns of Wisconsin voters.

The electoral system as it exists today was meant to promote unity by giving smaller states a substantial voice in national elections and a reason to remain in the Union. Whether this reasoning is still applicable in modern times can certainly be debated, but unilaterally reducing our own influence will not make the broader system more just.

The Electoral College system may well be unfair and unrepresentative for Americans who don't have the good fortune of living in a swing state, but any change would best be taken up on the national level. Partitioning the state's electoral votes would greatly reduce the incentive for candidates to address Wisconsinites in a national campaign. The Electoral College may have its foibles, but partitioning Wisconsin's influence will hurt this state more than it helps.