Movement to Undermine Electoral College Gains Momentum

Movement to Undermine Electoral College Gains Momentum
Snow blankets a statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square with the White House behind, as a winter storm arrives in the region, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
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Liberal states and elected officials are mounting an increasingly popular initiative to undermine the Electoral College by awarding state Electoral College votes in presidential elections to the winner of the national popular vote.

Supporters of the effort contend that the Electoral College is unfair, and that switching to a national popular vote would make presidential elections more competitive. But critics say that upending the 230-year-old institution would concentrate power in large urban areas that are almost exclusively Democratic strongholds.