10 States Sign On to Effort to Choose President By Popular Vote
After two of the last five presidential elections saw a candidate win by getting a majority of electoral votes but losing the popular vote -- Republicans George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trumpin 2016 -- 10 states have signed on to an effort in which they would give their electoral votes in upcoming presidential elections to the national popular vote winner, effectively bypassing the Electoral College without having to pass a constitutional amendment.
Connecticut is the latest state to join the effort, with Democratic Governor Dan Malloy saying he'll sign the measure passed by the state legislature. He said, "The vote of every American should count equally, yet under the current system, voters from sparsely populated states are awarded significantly more power than those from states like Connecticut."
The agreement won't kick in until states with Electoral Votes totaling 270 or more have joined, which is the minimum needed for a presidential victory. They are now at 172. However, it it were ever to go into effect, it would likely face a legal challenge.
The 10 states who've signed on are all blue states, and polls show Democrats overwhelmingly want the popular vote to choose the president, but 75 percent of Republicans think it should stay the way it is.
(Pulse Networks)