March 17, 2009 09:28 PM UTC

You Didn't Like All That Attention?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Some folks apparently didn’t–that is, presidential attention last year as Colorado emerged a key battleground state, as the Denver Post reports:

Eight-plus years after Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the presidential election, a bill to change how the Electoral College works is gaining momentum at the state Capitol.

If the legislature approves House bill 1299 this year, Colorado would become the fifth state to sign on to an interstate compact to award the state’s electoral votes for president based on who wins the national popular vote, regardless of who wins the state. The state House gave an initial OK to the bill Monday in a squeaker of a vote, after a three-hour debate that saw no shortage of high-flying rhetoric.

“This is perhaps the most important bill . . . that we will hear this session, perhaps in this decade,” said Rep. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican who is against the idea.

The bill is part of a countrywide effort by the nonprofit National Popular Vote project to get states to pledge their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote. The plan takes effect only if the states in the compact make up 270 electoral votes, enough to conclusively sway the election. So far, four states accounting for 50 electoral votes – Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey – have joined the compact.

Supporters say electing the president by popular vote ensures that every vote in the country counts equally.

“President,” said Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, “is the only office in the land where you can have the most votes and lose.”

A poll follows–would you trade notions of “fairness” and small-d democracy for a return to permanent flyover state status? After all, that’s what the game of the Electoral College is all about, keeping your vote relevant in the face of California’s millions.

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