GOP Moves to Scrap Winner-Take-All Voting

Republicans in swing states that went for President Obama are pushing for a big change in how the Electoral College works, reports the Washington Post. The idea is to apportion electoral votes according to congressional district, instead of the winner-take-all system that most states employ. In Virginia, for example, the difference would be dramatic—Obama would have taken only four of the state's 13 electoral votes in 2012.

“The last election, constituents were concerned that it didn’t matter what they did, that more densely populated areas were going to outvote them," says the Virginia state senator sponsoring the bill. Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—whose legislatures are controlled by the GOP—are also considering the change, but Virginia could vote on the measure as early as next week. Currently, only Maine and Nebraska use the congressional district system. Critics call the proposed legislation "sore-loser bills" and point out ending winner-take-all would greatly reduce Virginia's importance as a swing state. (More Virginia stories.)