New York Gov. Hochul Calls For Axing Electoral College, Saying It ‘Unfairly’ Elects President

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has called for the end of the Electoral College, saying the system that elects the U.S. president is outdated, convoluted and unfair.

“I strongly believe that the people of New York state and the United States of America should and must have their votes count equally, and that the popular vote should prevail,” she said in Albany on Tuesday.

Hochul called the U.S. Constitution, which enshrines the Electoral College system, a “living document” that was designed to be “adapted as future generations and circumstances and times require.”

The Democratic governor made the remarks as she presided over New York’s Electoral College vote for presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote in last month’s presidential race. The Constitution requires that the Electoral College meet in December to cast its official votes before sending the votes to Congress for certification in January.

Hochul noted that presidential candidates are spending disproportionate amounts of time in a few swing states that have “outsized influence,” rather than reaching out to the entire U.S.

“Unfairly, less populated states have outsized influence, and in effect, the votes of their residents count more than the residents of a state like New York,” she said. “Consider that a single elector in Wyoming — no offense to Wyoming — represents 200,000 residents and in New York, an elector like you represents 700,000.”

The Electoral College has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years. Since 2000, two presidential candidates who didn’t win the popular vote were declared the election’s winner, at least in part because of the Electoral College vote. Those candidates were George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016.

A recent poll by Pew Research found that 63% of Americans favor moving away from the Electoral College system.

Three Democratic senators introduced a bill on Monday that would amend the Constitution so that the popular vote elects the president, not the Electoral College.

“In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It’s that simple,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), one of the senators leading the proposal. He’s joined by Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

“No one’s vote should count for more based on where they live. The Electoral College is outdated and it’s undemocratic. It’s time to end it,” said Schatz.