Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer Pledges to Introduce Legislation to Reform the Electoral College

Oregon Senate has rejected the bill three times in years' past

By Rachel Monahan

Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer (D-Portland) pledged last week to introduce legislation that would award Oregon's electoral college votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

The approach Keny-Guyer favors could have changed the results of the presidential race this year, where Hillary Clinton won 2 million more votes than Donald Trump, according to the latest tally.

"I'll be introducing a bill to have Oregon vote for the National Popular Vote," she posted last week on Facebook. "It's way overdue that we overturn this archaic system that does NOT count every vote equally."

Thus far, 10 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that would change the way their electoral college votes are awarded.

But the legislation will go into effect nationally only if states with a majority of the electoral college enact similar legislation, in effect changing the way the country picks the president. Each state gets to decide how its electoral college votes are counted, though dismantling the electoral college would require a constitutional amendment.

Similar legislation has passed the Oregon House three times, but Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) has blocked it in years' past.

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