Bill seeks to change Electoral College

OLYMPIA -- State senators have approved a bill that would deliver the state's electoral votes to the U.S. presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote.

The bill, which passed 30-18 Monday, now heads to the House.

The bill would change Washington's current system of typically giving all of the state's electoral votes to the candidate who wins the statewide election to awarding all of the state's delegates to the national popular vote winner.

Almost every state has considered a similar bill. Maryland and New Jersey have passed such a measure.

The proposal would take effect only if enough states -- those with a majority of votes in the Electoral College -- agreed to it.

Currently, the Electoral College, an assembly of delegates in each state, chooses the president after the presidential election, usually awarding all of a state's electors to the candidate who carried the state. Each state's electors are equal to the number of its U.S. senators and U.S. representatives -- 11 in the case of Washington.

The proposal is aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2000 election, when Al Gore got the most votes nationwide but George W. Bush put together enough victories in key states to win a majority in the Electoral College and capture the White House.

The Washington state bill was sponsored by Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland.