Colorado Set To Become 12th State Moving To Kill Electoral College

Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’s signature is all that remains to include Colorado among the ranks of states prepared to abandon the Electoral College system in favor of nationwide popular voting for the next presidential election.

Colorado would bring the number of states who have joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) to 12, plus the District of Columbia. The NPVIC represents a coalition of states who have agreed to pool their Presidential electoral votes for the majority candidate, regardless of individual state outcomes.

Under the Constitution, states have the power to determine how they award their electoral votes in national elections, with many states currently being winner-take-all. If states with at least 270 electoral votes (or the number needed to elect a president) agree to award their votes to the majority-vote holder, it would effectively convert the presidential election to popular vote.

Colorado brings the total electoral votes represented by NPVIC states to 181. To reach the required 270, they need a dozen or so more states to pass legislation. So far, no red states have embraced the movement.

Eric Holder weighed in on the issue Tuesday by Twitter, supporting the reform measure and linking to a story from The Hill about Colorado’s pending inclusion.

New Mexico is poised to join next, with legislation having passed State House and currently pending with the Democrat-controlled Senate.