Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Peter Welch of Vermont presented their bill on Monday, saying it was time to “restore democracy” by doing away with the college system altogether and giving primacy to the popular vote, the total number of ballots cast by the American electorate. “In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It’s that simple,” said Schatz. “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 The Electoral College is outdated and it’s undemocratic.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.” Currently, the Electoral College carries the day, an institution established under Article Two of the US Constitution that grants each state a given number of electors in proportion to the size of its congressional delegation. For example, a populous state like California is worth 54 votes but North Dakota just three. ‘With 528 Electoral College votes available in total, a majority of 270 is required for a candidate to win the White House. On November 5, Trump and JD Vance secured a commanding victory of 312 to 226 over their Democratic rivals Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Schatz, Durbin and Welch now say they are concerned that in two presidential elections already this century — George W Bush’s win over Al Gore in 2000 and ‘Trump’s over Hillary Clinton in 2016 — Republican candidates have entered the Oval Office without picking up the majority of votes cast.
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