Illinois To Bypass Electoral Collge, Elect President With Popular Vote

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Illinois is on the verge of joining a plan to elect the U.S. president by popular vote instead of by the all or nothing vote of the electoral college.

Both houses have approved the idea which, if signed by Governor Rod Blagojevich, would make Illinois the third state after New Jersey and Maryland to sign up.

Under the National Popular Vote plan, the Illinois electoral college would put all its votes behind the candidate with the most votes nation-wide instead of behind the candidate with the most votes within Illinois.

Illinois House Sponsors Robert Molaro and Leshawn Ford say this would have two benefits:

1. When enough states sign on, the President would then be picked on the basis of the popular vote, not on the basis of the electoral votes. This would eliminate the 2000 situation where Al Gore lost the election to George Bush even though Gore had 500-thousand more votes nationwide.

2. And Molaro and Ford say Presidential Candidates now ignore Illinois after the primary because it's generally considered a democratic state....secure for democrats, lost for republicans, and thus no place for presidential candidates who'll focus their energy and attention on just a few battle ground states where the electoral vote is in doubt like Wisconsin, Iowa, or Michigan.

For the plan to take effect, it would have to be approved by states with over 270-electoral votes -- enough to elect a president.

Senate Republican Spokesman Kirk Dillard says since the nation's six top cities only amount to 6 percent of the population, this plan would not switch the focus of campaign efforts to high population states.

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