Buttigieg doubles down on scrapping Electoral College: ‘It’s undemocratic’

Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg doubled down on his support for getting rid of the Electoral College in an interview that aired Thursday on NBC News, calling the institution “undemocratic.”

“Twice in my young lifetime I’ve seen the American people overruled by the Electoral College,” Buttigieg said. “It’s time for that to go because it’s undemocratic.”

Pressed by NBC’s Harry Smith on whether Republicans would back scrapping the institution, Buttigieg suggested making the reform years down the road.{mosads}

“So maybe when we make this reform, we set it to take effect in the 2030s, when it’s not clear which party is going to benefit,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I think most Americans, of any party, ought to be able to get on board with the idea that one person, one vote, counting equally, is the fairest way to choose our president.”

NBC noted that Buttigieg’s 2020 agenda also includes plans for same-day voter registration nationwide and statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. 

Buttigieg has made several other calls to abandon the Electoral College, saying it has damaged U.S. democracy. 

Several other 2020 Democratic hopefuls have suggested it’s time to eliminate the Electoral College, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) coming out strongly for the proposal and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) indicating openness to the idea.

More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to join the National Popular Vote interstate compact. Under the compact, the states that have joined would award their Electoral College votes to the popular vote winner, but it will only go into effect if the states that are involved make up a total of at least 270 votes, the amount needed to win the presidency.