Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced on Friday that he is introducing legislation to abolish the Electoral College as part of a package of election reform bills.
“It’s time to end the undemocratic Electoral College, and to ensure a pathway to full voting representation for all American citizens, regardless of whether they live in Portland or Puerto Rico,” Merkley said in a statement.
The bill would propose a constitutional amendment to nix the Electoral College and elect the president by a direct popular vote.
Merkley, as part of a “We the People” democracy blueprint released earlier this year, argued that the current system for electing a president is “profoundly unfair” and has resulted in two elections over the past two decades where candidates didn’t win the popular vote but still won the White House.
President Trump won the 2016 election despite losing the popular vote to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Former President George W. Bush also won the presidency in 2000 after losing the popular vote to Democratic nominee Al Gore. – READ MORE