Brian Schatz

U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawai’i, Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and Peter Welch, D-Vermont, have introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College system and allow presidents to be elected solely by the popular vote.

“In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It’s that simple,” Schatz said in a statement. “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 The Electoral College is outdated and it’s undemocratic.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.”

According to the senator’s office, the winner of the election has received the most votes in all but five presidential elections. However, two of those five times came in the last 19 years.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have joined a plan to bypass the Electoral College by agreeing to allocate their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the nationwide popular vote. Additionally, polls show more voters preferring direct elections through a popular vote over the existing Electoral College system. The constitutional amendment is supported by the NAACP and Common Cause.