Most Americans support changing the U.S. Constitution so presidents are elected by national popular vote rather than through the Electoral College, according to a new poll.
The Electoral College assigns each state a number of votes equal to its total representation in Congress.
Presidential candidates usually receive those electoral votes by winning a state, except in Nebraska and Maine, where some votes are awarded by congressional district.
In most elections, the Electoral College produces the same result as a national popular vote would.
However, several presidential contests in U.S. history have ended with the Electoral College choosing a candidate who did not receive the most votes nationwide.
That happened in 2016, when President Donald Trump won the White House despite finishing behind in the popular vote.
Some advocates are considering other ways to move the country toward a popular vote system.
Still, a constitutional amendment would be the most permanent and legally secure route for making that change.
An Economist/YouGov poll released Tuesday found that most Americans favor such an amendment.
The survey showed that 56 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College and replacing it with a popular vote system.
Twenty-three percent opposed the proposal.
Another 21 percent said they were unsure.
Throughout the 21st century, Americans have generally been more likely to support choosing presidents by popular vote than to oppose it.
The only exception came in 2016, when Trump won the presidency and majority support fell to plurality support.
Since then, backing for the change has returned to majority levels.
The decline in support at that time was likely connected to Trump’s Republican supporters wanting to keep the process that helped him win.
The latest Economist/YouGov poll found that even among GOP-leaning voters, a narrow plurality now favors moving to a popular vote system for presidential elections.
Forty-three percent of GOP-leaning voters supported an amendment to make that change.
Forty percent opposed it.
Trump himself previously criticized the Electoral College.
On Election Night in 2012, when it first looked possible that former President Barack Obama might win reelection through the Electoral College while losing the popular vote, Trump posted on social media that “the electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.”
After winning the 2016 election, Trump said he still opposed the Electoral College and preferred a popular vote system for future contests.
