Senator Boxer wants to abolish Electoral College after Trump victory
A Democratic US senator has brought in legislation to abolish Electoral College following the surprise victory of Republican Donald Trump in last week's presidential election.
Senator Barbara Boxer introduced the bill on Tuesday amid calls for reform after Trump clobbered Democratic Hillary Clinton on November 8.
"This is the only office in the land where you can get more votes and still lose the presidency," Boxer said.
Electoral College, a system established by Article Two of the Constitution, ultimately decides the presidential election, not the popular vote.
Americans vote in each state at a general election to choose a slate of "electors" pledged to vote for a party's candidate who is elected president should they receive an absolute majority of electoral votes among the states. However, the winner does not always correspond to the candidate who won the popular vote.
"The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately.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," Boxer said.
In the popular vote, Clinton has so far won 62,318,079 votes compared to Trump's 61,166,063, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
However, Trump won 290 of the total 538 electoral votes, compared to Clinton’s 228.
Trump had earlier complained about the Electoral College system, saying he had "respect" for the system but he preferred the popular vote method.
But, in a tweet, he said, "the Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different!"
Since Trump’s election, thousands of protesters have been holding rallies across the US, dismissing the billionaire businessman over his racist and divisive campaign pledges.
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