A plan is underway to replace the Electoral College, and your state may already be part of it.

The Colorado Senate was the first state legislature to try to pass the national popular vote proposal in 2006, though the legislation has repeatedly failed. It was finally signed last year by Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, but was later successfully challenged by Coloradans Vote, a group that gathered enough signatures to invoke a rarely used referendum to ask Colorado voters to confirm or repeal the law.

John Koza was part of this initial effort and was the creator and president of the nonprofit National Popular Vote. He’s a computer scientist who is known for his work in genetics and even co-invented the scratch lottery ticket and had more than a passing interest in how the US presidential election works.

“I’ve been interested in Electoral College quirks since the 1960s,” Koza said. “Several of us got together and said that a state-based approach, which is what we have, would be a better way to try to get a national popular vote. This is how voting is. popular national began. “

While the pact has gained traction in states run by Democratic governors, it has been supported by some Republicans such as former RNC chairman Michael Steele.

Critics, however, say the popular vote initiative will encourage candidates to focus on large cities, which tend to favor Democratic candidates. Koza disputes this.

“We know how candidates campaign now, and they would campaign the same way they do now, except it would be spread across the country,” he said.

This sentiment is shared by Sylvia Bernstein, the coalition coordinator for the Yes to the National People’s Vote campaign.

“It shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” Bernstein said. “The reason people should support the national popular vote is quite simple. … The candidate with the most votes should win, as happens in every other election in this country.

She said candidates should be forced to campaign across the country, not just in a handful of swing states.

“Right now we see both candidates curled up in Pennsylvania. You know, Pennsylvania has nothing to do with Colorado or California or Texas. “

Other opponents say states would cede power under the pact.

“The comments I received from my constituents were: what can we do about this? Why can’t we vote on the national popular vote? Said Don Wilson, a Republican, Coloradans Vote co-founder and mayor of Monument, Colorado.

“I would agree that if it’s not a partisan issue, I would say it tears us away from our state sovereignty, or your state from being an independent voice,” Wilson said.

“The presidential election is the only election we have where the sovereignty of the state and the people of the state are combined for one vote.”

Koza and Wilson already have their sights set on what will come after Colorado. Wilson has said he would like to discuss the issue with other states before it appears in their legislatures.

Koza looks to Virginia, which passed the pact in its House of Delegates, then was sent off by a committee to be taken over by the state Senate after the election.

One thing all parties agree on is the likelihood of a court challenge once the campaign reaches the required number of electoral votes. Supporters believe that the courts will ultimately allow states to decide how to run presidential elections.

“It’s hard to imagine that something important would go unchallenged in court,” Bernstein said.

“We are confident that we will survive these challenges. The Constitution makes it very clear that state legislators have the exclusive and plenary right to reward state voters as they wish. And that’s exactly what this compact does. “