Bill changing how president is elected advances

The Colorado House is taking up a bill this week that would change how the country elects the president — if enough other states get on board.

The bill, passed by the Senate 19-16 last month, would add Colorado to a growing list of states that have pledged to give their Electoral College votes to whomever wins the national popular vote for president.

The House has scheduled its first hearing for Tuesday afternoon.

“We’re still counting votes,” said Rep. Jeni James Arndt, D-Fort Collins, one of the bill’s sponsors. “This isn’t a foregone conclusion.”

The idea of states making an end run around the Electoral College through their legislatures rather than attempting to amend the U.S. Constitution has been around for nearly two decades.

Colorado Senate Democrats first passed it in 2006, but their counter- parts in the House did not follow suit.

It has been picking up support among Democrats nationwide since the 2016 election of President Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes but lost the election in the Electoral College.