Poll: Majority of Americans Favor Ending Electoral College

A majority of Americans, mostly Democrats, support replacing the Electoral College and moving to a popular vote system, according to a new Gallup Poll.

The survey, conducted of 1,019 U.S. adults was conducted between Aug. 31 and Sept. 13, found that 61% now support amending the Constitution to move to a popular vote system. The numbers are up 6 points from 2019 and 12 points from 2016, reports The Hill.  

In the poll, which carries a 4-point margin of error:

• 89% of Democrats support replacing the Electoral College system.
• 68% of independents want to replace it.
• 23% of Republicans favor a change.

President Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by about 3 million votes but won the Electoral College. In the past five presidential elections, Trump and George W. Bush ended up in the White House after losing the popular vote. Overall, that has happened just four times in U.S. history. 

When Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore in 2000, 60% supported abolishing the Electoral College, with 36 against, but now, Democrat support for ending the method is the highest on record and Republican support is almost at its lowest point. 

But after Trump won in November 2016, people were almost evenly divided, with 49% supporting abolishing the Electoral College through amending the Constitution and 47% against it.

Ending the Electoral College would be difficult, as it would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate and 75% support in the 50 states. 

Gallup notes that another option would not require a constitutional amendment. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would be an agreement between states to award all electoral votes to the candidate winning the overall popular vote. The compact has already been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, but like the Electoral College, support for it is also highly politicized. 

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