Don Lemon has called for an overhaul to the country’s political system that would lend more power to the popular vote.
In a passionate exchange with fellow CNN host Chris Cuomo, Lemon suggested eliminating the electoral college system which political pundits say has resulted in two of the last five presidents winning the election without a majority of the popular vote.
"We're going to have to blow up the entire system," Lemon said.
"I don't know about that. You've just got to vote,” Cuomo responded. "I don't see it."
UNHINGED: CNN’s Don Lemon: “we’re going to have to blow up the entire system”https://t.co/RJ7tTPEyyd
pic.twitter.com/gA5UftwnDy— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 22, 2020
“You need two-thirds vote in the congress and three-quarters of the state legislatures," Cuomo added.
Lemon suggested a possibility of eliminating the electoral college if the Democrats were to take the majority after the November election and the successful campaign of presidential nominee Joe Biden.
According to Newsweek, eliminating the electoral college would require a constitutional amendment with support from two-thirds of the House and the Senate and three-quarters of states’ approval.
Otherwise, legislators would have to organize a constitutional convention that would require support from three-quarters of state legislatures.
According to an NBC News report, political scientists have determined that Trump could be in a position to win the electoral vote even if he loses the popular vote by as many as five million votes.
Originally established as a function to limit the influence of the larger states, the electoral college’s ideal was to elect a president that was representative and fair, according to the Library of Congress.
The creation of the institution provided a compromise at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 between the popular vote and congressional selection.
Since it was created, the electoral college has proven to be critical in a number of important presidential elections.
In 2016, Donald Trump won the presidential election despite being beaten by Hillary Clinton by almost three million popular votes.
Before then, George W. Bush was elected president in 2000 on 271 electoral votes, even though his opponent Al Gore won more popular votes.
In 1876 Samuel Tilden soundly beat Republican Rutherford B. Hayes by more than 50% of the popular vote but lost the presidential election. In the first round of tallying, Tilden was up 184 electoral votes to Hayes’ 165, but 20 votes were in question.
The Electoral Commission was formed in January of 1877 to debate what would happen to the remaining votes. A deal later emerged to resolve the dispute called the Compromise of 1877. In exchange for the Democrats’ cooperation, Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the south.
