On November 8th of this year, Donald J. Trump became the President-elect of the United States without winning the popular vote. This is the fifth time in American history that this has happened and the second time in less than twenty years.

Despite the fact that Trump lost the popular vote nearly 2.9 million votes, Trump will most likely be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017 due to the vagaries of the Electoral College.

Back in 1787, slave owning delegates from the South insisted upon indirect election of the president. Because the South had fewer eligible voters than the North, the Southern delegates feared that slavery would be legislated out of existence. Other delegates, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison among them, feared that direct election would subject the fledgingling nation to "mischiefs of faction" who "united and actuated by some common impulse of passion" would unthinkingly vote a tyrant into office. Consequently, the Constitutional delegates voted to adopt what is now known as the Electoral College.

While this system may have been ideal in 1787, American society has changed monumentally over the last 230 years. Slavery was permanently abolished a century and a half ago. Compulsory education, mass media, easier travel, and quicker communication have made the American electorate much more informed about political matters than it was in the 1780's.

To make matters worse the Electoral College has evolved into a winner-take-all system where millions of votes in states that don't swing are literally wasted. For example, in the 2016 election, Donald Trump never got less than 30% of the vote in blue states; Trump won about four million votes in California alone. His challenger, Hillary Clinton, won about 23% of the vote in Wyoming, her worst red state showing. She won more than 40% of the vote in Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona, and Texas. However, because those states are all reliably blue or red, none of those votes count.

The 2016 election was decided by a few million people living in swing states. In fact, just six states hosted 273 of the 399 general election events. 24 states had none.

The Electoral College is an antiquated institution, no longer serving its original purpose. While abolishing it altogether is not feasible, reforming the system is a realistic goal.

Under the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, states would award its Electoral College votes to the winner of the total national election--not the winner of each individual states. Not only would NPVIC eliminate situations where different candidates win the popular vote and the Electoral College, it makes elections fairer by ensuring that all votes count regardless of where they're cast.

For that reason, I am respectfully asking that you adopt NPV legislation in your state.