Colorado passes resolution to give electoral college votes to whoever wins popular vote

Since 2000, two Democratic candidates have lost the race for the White House despite winning the popular vote

Voters in Colorado have backed a resolution to ensure that the candidate who wins the national popular vote will become president of the United States.

It sees the state become the 16th to join the National Popular Vote Compact, adding its nine electoral college votes to the 187 already pledged by the likes of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland and Washington DC.

For the resolution to have any impact, however, it needs to be backed by states carrying a combined total of at least 270 electoral college votes.

If implemented, the compact would avoid a repeat of results like 2016 and 2000, when Hillary Clinton and Al Gore lost the race to the White House to Donald Trump and George W Bush respectively, despite winning the popular vote.

In Colorado, the measure was supported by 52 per cent of voters. The state had previously passed a law backing the popular vote in 2019, but it required the backing of voters in a referendum.

According to the Denver Post, Colorado Senator Michael Foote hailed the result saying: “One person should always equal one vote, and the presidential candidate who gets the most votes should win the election.

“We want to make sure presidential candidates think about people across the country, and what they think — not just voters in Pennsylvania. The national popular vote is a way to make sure our president gets elected on the principle of one person, one vote.”

Critics of the movement argue that the measure would lead to presidential candidates only focussing their campaigning in the largest cities and most densely populated states like California.  But others say this targeting happens anyway – and that perceived safe states like Colorado receive less attention anyway under the present system.