Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Advocates for Abolishing Electoral College

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, currently the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, has reiterated his position on the elimination of the Electoral College during a recent campaign fundraiser in California. The event was held at the private residence of Governor Gavin Newsom in Sacramento. “I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go,” Walz stated, according to a pool report that was covered by Bloomberg. “We need a national popular vote, but that’s not the world we live in,” he added.

Walz’s comments follow his earlier action in 2023, when he signed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact for Minnesota. This agreement proposes that member states allocate all their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. The compact would take effect once states holding at least 270 electoral votes, the minimum required to win a presidential election, agree to join.

A spokesperson for the Harris/Walz campaign clarified Walz’s statements, remarking, “Governor Walz believes that every vote matters in the Electoral College and he is honored to be traveling the country and battleground states working to earn support for the Harris-Walz ticket.” The spokesperson further emphasized that Walz was engaging with the audience of strong supporters, discussing the strategy to achieve the pivotal 270 electoral votes needed to secure a win.

The Electoral College system, established by the Founding Fathers, apportions a set number of electors from each state to cast votes for the president and vice president. Except for Maine and Nebraska, which use a proportional system, states typically award all electoral votes to the candidate winning the majority within the state. Repealing the Electoral College would necessitate a constitutional amendment, a complex and challenging process.

The system has faced criticism, notably after elections where a candidate secured the presidency despite losing the popular vote, as occurred in 2016 with Donald Trump and in 2000 with George W. Bush. Conversely, opponents of abolishing the Electoral College argue that its elimination could grant disproportionate influence to states with larger populations.

Recent polling by the Pew Research Center indicates that a majority of Americans, approximately 63%, favor doing away with the Electoral College. Vice President Kamala Harris has also expressed openness to discussing its elimination, as she remarked in a 2019 “Jimmy Kimmel Live” interview.