Two years ago, President Donald Trump won election despite losing the popular vote to Hilary Clinton by nearly three million votes.
That’s because of the Electoral College, a system set up in the Constitution gives votes – or electors – to each state based on population.
The group National Popular Votewants to elect the president based on the popular vote instead of the electoral college. They’re asking state legislatures, including Michigan, to change the way they count their votes.
Pat Rosenstiel is a senior consultant to National Popular Vote. He says if enough states agree to award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, it would not be necessary to amend the Constitution.
“Right now, we have 12 states that have passed our bill – that are in the National Popular Vote agreement,” says Rosenstiel. “They have 172 electoral votes. When there are 270 or more electoral votes … they award those electors to the candidate that wins the national popular vote.”
The National Popular Vote compact was introduced in the Michigan state legislature last week and was referred to the House Committee on Elections and Ethics. It has 16 sponsors in the House, including Mancelona Republican Triston Cole.