Harris Proposes Major Change to Presidential Elections
Former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has put forward the idea that the U.S. should rethink its method of determining the presidential election winner. This proposal comes amid ongoing discontent among Democrats regarding the electoral college system, especially after recent elections where Republicans won despite losing the popular vote.
“That should be a discussion we should have. I don’t think we should rule it out as a discussion point for potential action,” she stated in a recent interview with Don Lemon, which was shared on Friday.
During their conversation, she suggested that significant changes to the rules and structure are necessary. When asked directly if this meant abolishing the electoral system, Harris responded, “I think we should. That should be a discussion we should have.”
Interestingly, Harris herself lost the popular vote to Trump in 2024 by a narrow margin of 1.5 percentage points, but the Electoral College favored Trump significantly, with a tally of 312 to 226.
This isn’t the first time these concerns have been raised. In 2016, Trump won the Electoral College while Hillary Clinton secured the popular vote, and in 2000, Al Gore faced a similar outcome against George W. Bush. Supporters of the Electoral College argue that its removal could lead to a focus solely on large cities, leaving smaller states out of the equation. They contend that, given the current climate of campaigning, outcomes might still not shift in elections where the popular vote winner does not prevail.
Democrats have tabled a bill aimed at abolishing the electoral system, arguing it disproportionately benefits larger states. Hawaii Democratic Senator Brian Schatz stated, “Whoever gets the most votes should win the election. It’s that simple. No one should have their vote counted based on where they live. The Electoral College is outdated and undemocratic. It’s time to end it.”
However, such a significant alteration to the electoral process would necessitate a constitutional amendment.
It’s worth noting that historical cases, such as Rutherford B. Hayes and John Quincy Adams, illustrate that some presidents have indeed benefitted from the Electoral College despite having lost the popular vote. Nevertheless, most presidential elections typically see the winner of both the electoral and popular votes align.
