Legislative Background on the Electoral College
Recent Action by Congress on Reforming the Electoral Process
From the late 1940s until 1980, Congress considered numerous measures designed to change the Electoral College system. These consisted of proposed constitutional amendments to reform the system or eliminate it altogether. During this period, the Senate and House Judiciary Committees held Electoral College reform hearings on 17 different occasions, and proposals were debated five times by the full Senate and twice by the full House. Amendments related to the Electoral College system were approved by the necessary two-thirds majority twice in the Senate and once in the House. Over succeeding decades, however, legislative interest in the issue waned. No amendments…
