Elections

End The Electoral College? Not Gonna Happen

The Electoral College is a part of the Constitution. And it's been more than two decades since we've made any amendments.

End The Electoral College? Not Gonna Happen
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Article by Stephanie Liebergen
SMS
November 15, 2016

The 2016 presidential election was a shocker. For the fifth time in America's history, the winning candidate didn't win the popular vote. 

Millions of Americans signed an online petition asking electors to choose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump because she won the popular vote, but that's unlikely.

SEE MORE: The History Behind The Weird, Convoluted Way We Elect Presidents

Others are calling for an end to the Electoral College altogether. So what would that take?

The Electoral College is part of the Constitution, so getting rid of it would take a constitutional amendment. 

For those who need a quick civics lesson — that requires the House and Senate to pass the amendment with a two-thirds majority. Then it has to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. 

It's been more than two decades since we've amended the Constitution. 

The 27th Amendment, passed in 1992, requires any salary changes for Congress to go into effect after the next election.

Proposals to change or eliminate the Electoral College have popped up in Congress over 700 times. 

While it's a far-fetched possibility, a 2013 poll found a majority of Americans said they would vote for a law that would do away with the Electoral College.