{"articles":[{"id":3924,"title":"Trump Wants Elections Decided by Popular Vote","html_content":"

by Causes | 4.27.18

What’s the story?

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he’d like to ditch the Electoral College for presidential elections because the popular vote is “easier to win.”
In an interview with Fox & Friends, the president – who lost the popular vote in the 2016 election – said:

“Remember, we won the election. And we won it easily. You know, a lot of people say ‘Oh, it was close.’ And by the way, they also like to always talk about Electoral College. Well, it’s an election based on the Electoral College. I would rather have a popular election, but it’s a totally different campaign.”

Trump explained that the presidential race is like an actual race: “It’s as though you're running—if you're a runner, you're practicing for the 100-yard dash as opposed to the 1-mile.”

“The Electoral College is different. I would rather have the popular vote because it's, to me, it's much easier to win the popular vote,” he continued.

Need a reminder on how the Electoral College works? Click above.

Why does it matter?

Trump is not alone in suggesting we lose the Electoral College. Recently, a coalition of law firms, politicians, and the League of United Latin American Citizens filed lawsuits claiming the \"winner-take-all\" Electoral College system violates the Constitution.

\"Under the winner-take-all system, U.S. citizens have been denied their constitutional right to an equal vote in presidential elections,” attorney David Boies, who’s leading the coalition, said in a statement. “This is a clear violation of the principle of one person, one vote.\"

What do you think?

Is it time to revisit the Electoral College? Is the \"winner-take-all\" system unconstitutional? Should all states adopt Maine’s ranked-choice voting? Hit Take Action and tell you reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

Related Reading

(Photo Credit: cienpies / iStock)

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