Senate’s progressive wing proposes bill to end the Electoral College and ‘restore democracy’

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, along with colleagues Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Peter Welch of Vermont, have proposed a new bill to abolish the Electoral College Durbin, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the present system “disenfranchises millions of Americans.” “In 2000, before the general election, I introduced a bipartisan resolution to amend the Constitution and abolish the Electoral College,” he continued. “I still believe today that it’s time to retire this 18th century invention.” Welch added: “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when everyone’s voice is heard – and right now our elections aren’t as representative as they should be because of the outdated and flawed Electoral College.” Their proposal would not have had any bearing on the outcome this year, however, given that Trump and Vance also won the popular vote, scoring 77,300,739 ballots to 75,014,534 for Harris and Walz. The loss of the Electoral College – which places a distorting emphasis on campaigning in the so-called swing states like Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Nevada – would have greatly reshaped the 2024 race and allowed Harris and Walz to lean into shoring up support in Democratic bastions like New York, Illinois and California. “It’s always worth reminding people: It’s really hard for Democrats to win battleground states, OK?” Plouffe told Pod Save America last month.