U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
November 15, 2016

Boxer Introduces Bill To Abolish The Electoral College

Donald Trump to Become Fifth Person in U.S. History To Lose Popular Vote and Still Become President

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) will introduce legislation when the Senate comes into session later today that would eliminate the Electoral College and determine the winner of presidential elections by the outcome of the popular vote.

Hillary Clinton currently leads the popular vote by nearly a million votes (990,758). By the time all the ballots are counted, the New York Times estimates that Clinton may win the popular vote by more than two million votes and more than 1.5 percentage points. Donald Trump will become the fifth President in U.S. history to lose the popular vote and still win the election.

"In my lifetime, I have seen two elections where the winner of the general election did not win the popular vote," said Senator Boxer. "When all the ballots are counted, Hillary Clinton will have won the popular vote by a margin that could exceed two million votes, and she is on track to have received more votes than any other presidential candidate in history except Barack Obama. This is the only office in the land where you can get more votes and still lose the presidency. The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately. Every American should be guaranteed that their vote counts."

"In 2012, Donald Trump tweeted, 'The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy,' " Boxer added. "I couldn't agree more. One person, one vote!"

During his interview on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, Trump said his views on the Electoral College haven't changed. "You know, I'm not going to change my mind just because I won. But I would rather see it where you went with simple votes. You know, you get 100 million votes and somebody else gets 90 million votes and you win," he said. This morning, he tweeted that the Electoral College is "actually genius."

As of early Tuesday, Hillary Clinton had received 61,929,605 votes (47.8 percent) and Donald Trump had received 60,938,847 votes (47.0 percent), according to the Cook Political Report national popular vote tracker.

Senator Boxer's legislation would amend the Constitution of the United States and abolish the Electoral College. The amendment would take effect when ratified by three-fourths of the states within seven years after its passage in the U.S. Congress.

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U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)
November 17, 2016

Rangel Introduces Bill to Abolish The Electoral College

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Charles B. Rangel introduced, H.J. Res 103, a bill today that would allow Congress to vote to eliminate the Electoral College system and decide future presidential elections by the outcome of the popular vote. This legislation is the House companion bill to S.J.Res.41, introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) on November 15, 2016.

“I came to Congress on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, and I know how hard we fought for the sacred right to vote,” said Rangel. “To protect it, everyone should have access to the vote, and every vote must count. The fact that a candidate can receive more votes than the other but lose the election is fundamentally undemocratic.”

Secretary Hillary Clinton, who received at least 62,825,754 votes in the presidential election, won the popular vote over Donald Trump. It is estimated that by the time all the votes are counted, Secretary Clinton may win the popular vote by over two million votes and more than 1.5 percentage points. However, Secretary Clinton lost the Electoral College 232 to 306. This makes Donald Trump the fifth person in U.S. history and the second this century to lose the popular vote and still win the presidency.

The Boxer-Rangel legislation seeks to amend the U.S. Constitution and abolish the Electoral College. The amendment would take effect if ratified by three-fourths of the states within seven years after its passage in the U.S. Congress.

“It is time that we do away the antiquated and obsolete Electoral College system. True democracy should guarantee one person, one vote,” Rangel added.

Congressman Charles B. Rangel, who represents the 13th Congressional District of New York that includes Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, will be retiring at the end of the 114th Congress after 46 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is currently the second longest serving member in the U.S. Congress. A champion of civil rights, he marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 with John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. 

 

Text of Bill below:

H. J. RES. 103

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the Electoral College and to provide for the direct popular election of the President and Vice-president of the United States.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

The President and Vice President shall be jointly elected by the direct vote of the qualified electors of the several States and territories and the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States. The electors in each State, territory, and the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the legislative body where they reside.

Congress may determine the time, place, and manner of holding the election, the entitlement to inclusion on the ballot, and the manner in which the results of the election shall be ascertained and declared.