What’s New
#VoteNo is trending on social media as a group of Democratic leaders are pushing to abolish the Electoral College.
Why It Matters
Democratic Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Peter Welch of Vermont introduced an amendment to abolish the Electoral College system on Monday. The bill would allow U.S. presidential elections to be decided through popular vote alone.
When reached for comment, Schatz and Durbin’s offices emailed Newsweek a statement about the bill.
“In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It’s that simple,” Schatz said in the statement. “No one’s vote should count for more based on where they live. The Electoral College is outdated and it’s undemocratic. It’s time to end it.”
Newsweek also reached out to Welch via email for comment
A “USA” sign is raised among American flags at a rally in Washington, D.C., on October 29. #VoteNo is trending on social media as a group of senators push to abolish the Electoral College.
Photo by Sahab Zaribaf / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by SAHAB ZARIBAF/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
The winner received the most votes in all but five presidential elections. Two of the five times that this has taken place has been in the last 19 years, once with former President George W. Bush in 2000 and again with President-elect Donald Trump in 2016.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had also called for abolishing the Electoral College after she won the popular vote but lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
With most states being easily predictable on whether they will go blue or red, a handful of states are determining the leader for the overall country.
The proposal said, “17 states and the District of Columbia have joined a national plan to bypass the Electoral College by agreeing to allocate its electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote.”
The amendment proposal is also supported by the NAACP and Common Cause, according to Schatz and Durbin.
What Is The Proposed Bill?
The bill introduced to the Senate on December 12 is meant to “restore democracy,” according to Schatz.
“A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the electoral college and to provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the United States,” the bill reads.
On the same day, Tennessee Democratic Representative Steve Cohen also introduced a bill to the House to propose the abolishment of the Electoral College and provide a direct election.
L-R: Senators Dick Durbin, Brian Schatz, Peter Welch. The Democratic senators have proposed a bill abolishing the Electoral College.
Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images
How Does The Electoral College Work?
The Electoral College was formed in 1787 to compromise between having direct and indirect elections for the president. Every four years, a temporary group of electors equal to the number of representatives in Congress is created as delegates to vote for the president.
Today, 538 votes make up the Electoral College, a number based on each state’s delegates in the Senate and House of Representatives. To win the White House, a candidate needs 270 Electoral College votes.
Since 38 of the 50 U.S. states have voted for the same political party from 2000 to 2016, the winner is almost always determined by a handful of “swing states,” which, as the name implies, often “swing” between the two major political parties.
Also known as “battleground states” or “purple” states, these are the most competitive areas in the presidential election. They are where the candidates spend most of their time on the campaign trail and where a flood of money from outside political groups is targeted, mostly through advertisements.
In the 2024 cycle, the winner needed to carry some or all of the following seven states: Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. President-elect Donald Trump swept all seven of the swing states this time around.
Even if the Electoral College was abolished in the 2024 election, however, Trump would have still won. He received 77,300,739 votes to Vice President Kamala Harris‘ 75,014,534.
What People Are Saying
Senator Dick Durbin: “In 2000, before the general election, I introduced a bipartisan resolution to amend the Constitution and abolish the electoral college. I still believe today that it is time to retire this 18th century invention that disenfranchises millions of Americans. The American people deserve to choose all their leaders, and I am proud to support this effort with Senators Schatz and Welch to empower voters.”
Senator Peter Welch: “Our democracy is at its strongest when everyone’s voice is heard—and right now our elections aren’t as representative as they should be because of the outdated and flawed electoral college. I’m excited to partner with my friends and colleagues Senator Schatz and Chair Durbin on this important constitutional amendment, which will help empower every voter in every state.”
Progressive pundit Shea Jordan Smith, on X: “Earlier today, a group of Senate Democrats introduced a bill to abolish the Electoral College, aiming to bring democracy back to basics: letting the people pick the president through direct popular vote. No middlemen, no outdated systems—just majority rules.”
David Plouffe, senior adviser to the Harris campaign, on Pod Save America: It’s always worth reminding people: It’s really hard for Democrats to win battleground states, OK? Let’s look at Pennsylvania: 25 percent of the electorate is liberal, roughly, 34 percent is conservative.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to CNN in 2017: “I think it needs to be eliminated. I’d like to see us move beyond it.”
What Happens Next
The bill was read twice on December 12 and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, which Durbin chairs.
This post was originally published on here
