About a month after President-elect Donald Trump emerged victorious in the 2024 presidential election, three Democratic legislators have introduced a constitutional amendment that would abolish the Electoral College if passed.
Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii,) Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have voiced concerns about the fact that, in the past two decades, the Electoral College has allowed for the election of a candidate who did not win the popular vote on two separate occasions: George W. Bush in the 2000 election and Trump in the 2016 election. Both of these candidates were from the Republican Party.
However, Trump still would have won the 2024 presidential election even if the winner was decided by popular vote, as he garnered roughly 2 million more votes than his Democratic counterpart, Vice President Kamala Harris.
"In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It's that simple," Schatz said. "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 The Electoral College is outdated and it's undemocratic.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."
This follows the argument purported by some Democrats that Harris may have had a better chance at winning the election if the Democratic Party could focus on bolstering their lead in populous blue states, such as New York, instead of having to focus on winning battleground states.
"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's time to retire this 18th century invention," said Durbin, who also serves as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"It's always worth reminding people: It's really hard for Democrats to win battleground states, OK?" David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Harris's presidential campaign, told Crooked Media's "Pod Save America" last month.
"Let's look at Pennsylvania: 25 percent of the electorate is liberal, roughly, 34 percent is conservative," Plouffe explained. "So in every battleground state, there's more conservatives than liberals."
Democrats across the country have been incredibly disheartened by Harris' loss in 2024, noting how it occurred despite how much she outspent Trump by. Harris was able to raise $1 billion for her campaign, and Future Forward, a super PAC supporting her party, raised another $1 billion.
Despite this, she lost the popular vote as well as all seven swing states.
"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," said Welch.
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