Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) will introduce a constitutional amendment to the floor this week that will abolish the Electoral College.
The Daily Beast reported that an anonymous aide provided a list of supporters. Mike Inacay, communications director for Sen. Schatz, retweeted the article.
Sen. Brian Schatz is set on Tuesday to unveil a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College and allow for the election of presidents by popular vote, The Daily Beast has learned. https://t.co/hmFLvJYh19
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 1, 2019
These supporters include Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
Schatz argued on Twitter that the Electoral College was made, “as a compromise to accommodate slave owning states,” and that abolishing it would give Puerto Rican’s more say in the presidential election. When another user responded that the Electoral College prevents populous states from having a tyranny of the majority, the senator just said that his plan would making voting “simple.”
It is not radical to want to directly elect a president and not have the process intermediated through a “college” that was established as a compromise to accommodate slave owning states, nor is it radical to give millions of Puerto Rican Americans representation in Congress.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) March 21, 2019
My plan is simple. Count the votes and the person who gets the most votes is President of the United States of America.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) March 22, 2019
Schatz retweeted a post from NBC political reporter Alex Seitz-Wald, who said that the amendment wouldn’t pass “anytime soon,” but would start a conversation.
Coming soon: Brian Schatz and a group of other senators will introduce a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College, per spox.
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) April 1, 2019
Not going to become law anytime soon, but will boost this issue and help ensure it stays in convo.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced similar legislation on Mar. 29. He claimed that adding his amendment would ensure all Americans are represented.
"It’s time to end the undemocratic Electoral College, and to ensure a pathway to full voting representation for all American citizens, regardless of whether they live in Portland or Puerto Rico," Merkley said.
The Democratic push for the popular vote is fueled by President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election. Despite losing the popular vote against Hillary Clinton, he became the second candidate in 16 years to win the White House with just the Electoral College.