Senator Feinstein Backs Legislation To Abolish 'Unfair' Electoral College

SACRAMENTO (CBSLA/AP) — A Congressional effort to abolish the Electoral College - which was established by America's founding fathers to elect the president and vice president of the United States - received support Tuesday from Senator Dianne Feinstein.

The U.S. senator gave her endorsement to Senate Joint Resolution 16, which would eliminate the Electoral College and allow the nation's two highest offices to be directly elected by voters.

In a tweet, Feinstein said voters in California "are consistently under-represented when voting for president because of the Electoral College."

"Each elector stands for 712,000 Californians, but smaller states get the same vote for only 195,000 voters. That's simply unfair. We must eliminate the Electoral College", wrote Feinstein.

Such a move would ultimately require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Besides delivering the presidency to a candidate who didn't win the most votes, opponents of the Electoral College system argue it gives undue power to a handful of swing states, like Ohio, where candidates focus the bulk of their money and attention.

Supporters of the Electoral College include smaller states, which fear they would be overlooked without it as candidates stuck to high-vote, high-population areas.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)