Colorado Governor Looks To Sign a Bill To Bypass the Electoral College

Ferlon Webster Jr. | February 27, 2019
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In an effort to “move towards the direct election of the president,” Colorado's Democratic Governor Jared Polis is set to sign a bill that would bypass the Electoral College and award his state’s presidential electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, according to The Hill.

In an interview with The Hill, Gov. Polis said he wants to relegate the Electoral College to the “dustbin of history,” describing it as an “undemocratic relic” of the nation’s past. 

“I’ve long supported electing the president by who gets the most votes,” Polis told the news outlet. “It’s a way to move towards direct election of the president.”

As U.S. News reports:

“Under current state law, Colorado's electoral votes are cast for whoever wins in the state. But under the new measure, Colorado would join 11 states and the District of Columbia in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Those states include: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington state. 

Together the states and D.C. have 172 electoral votes, and adding Colorado would bring the compact's electoral votes to 181. The compact would take effect after enough states join to bring that total to 270 – the minimum number of votes needed to guarantee a candidate the presidency.”

Talks of disbanding the Electoral College have been in the press recently because many couldn’t deal with Trump winning the presidency over the beloved Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton (in 2016), despite Clinton winning the popular vote. 

Supporters of the proposed bill believe the system of the Electoral College is unfair, claiming the winner-take-all approach doesn’t show the true results of the election. Those against the national popular vote campaign have something to say as well, stating that the Electoral college keeps smaller states relevant during the election process despite their smaller populations.

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