Democrats’ plan to scrap the Electoral College is finally within reach. One of its architects is having second thoughts.
Josh Shapiro signaled his support for reform over the weekend, saying, “I think Pennsylvania can still play a massive role even in a national popular vote.” So it could actually happen — the Electoral College could be effectively abolished before 2028.
Key points
- Skeptics have historically doubted that crucial swing states would voluntarily give up the power they’ve enjoyed under the Electoral College.
- That means that a two-decades-in-the-making plan to switch our presidential elections to a popular vote system — a plan 18 states have already approved— could cross the threshold that would make it a reality.
- But Democrats have turned harshly against the system — especially after the last two Republican presidents won an election without a popular vote advantage — arguing it is profoundly unfair to have the presidency determined chiefly by how a few narrowly divided states happen to break.
How Akhil Amar started off as an Electoral College critic You’ve been thinking about this idea of Electoral College reform, and in particular this unusual route of reforming the Electoral College without a constitutional amendment, for a long time.
Additional details
- Well done, Amar — you just destroyed the universe!” That’s because Amar has come to believe the compact has some very serious flaws — flaws that could set the stage for a nationwide electoral disaster.
- So, now that Democrats have gained enough governorships and state legislative majorities to make it a reality if they so choose, I wanted to talk again with Amar — who’s also spoken about this on his podcast — to understand his misgivings.
- One might think he’d be thrilled about this, because, back in 2001, Amar co-wrote an article advancing something close to what became the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
- | Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call The 2026 blue wave could end up washing away the Electoral College.
- Because of the three-fifths clause, states with lots of slaves got the benefit of their slave population, with a discount, in the electoral vote.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
Advertisement
Every article behind this summary — 1 article from 1 outlet
Get stories like this in your inbox.
Subscribe — it's freeOne free email at 6am — your topics, deduplicated, five minutes. No account, no paywall.