Kamala Harris says she is open to abolishing Electoral College

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) on Tuesday said she is “open to the discussion” of abolishing the Electoral College. 

“I’m open to the discussion,” Harris said in an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “There’s no question that the popular vote has been diminished in terms of making the final decision about who’s the president of the United States and we need to deal with that, so I’m open to the discussion.”

{mosads}Democrats have long lamented the Electoral College, arguing that it does not give everyone an equal vote.

The process has faced new scrutiny after President Trump won the 2016 election despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. Democrats also lost the White House in 2000 despite winning the popular vote when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in the Electoral College. 

Other Democratic primary contenders have questioned the Electoral College in recent days.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday called to eliminate the Electoral College while appearing in a CNN town hall, saying that “every vote matters.” On Tuesday, she introduced a petition to eliminate the process.

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on Tuesday said that he sees “a lot of wisdom” in eliminating the system. 

Two states have also made moves to change the presidential election process.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Friday signed a bill into law that will give the state’s electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote. A similar bill passed Delaware’s state House.