Senate Dems introduce measure to abolish Electoral College

A group of Democratic senators on Tuesday introduced a measure to do away with the Electoral College, picking up on a talking point that has caught fire in the 2020 Democratic presidential field.

The measure serves as companion legislation to one put forward in the House by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., and counts one presidential candidate — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York — among its co-sponsors. Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Dianne Feinstein of California and Brian Schatz of Hawaii also sponsored the resolution.

The Electoral College has been the focus of renewed Democratic criticism in the wake of President Trump’s 2016 win. While he defeated Hillary Clinton in the electoral vote, he lost the popular vote by 2.9 million ballots.

“Before the 2000 election, I introduced a bipartisan resolution to amend the Constitution and create a system of direct election for presidents,” Durbin said in a statement. “And I still believe today as I did then that the Electoral College is a relic from a shameful period in our nation’s history, and allows some votes to carry greater weight than others.”

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