Steve Cohen (D-TN)
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the electoral college and to provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the United States.
A Democratic resolution with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
H.J. Res. 218 is a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution to abolish the electoral college. It establishes a system for the direct popular election of the President and Vice President by the people of the several states and the district constituting the seat of government. Under the resolution, each voter casts a single vote for a joint pair of candidates for President and Vice President. The pair that receives the greatest number of total votes wins the election. Congress is given the authority to pass laws to handle ties or the death or disqualification of candidates before a winner is chosen. If ratified by three-fourths of the states, the article takes effect one year after the first day of January following ratification.
Yes
- Scored +8
Does this make elections run better?
The resolution abolishes the electoral college and establishes a direct popular vote system for electing the President and Vice President.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Section 1 and Section 3 allow for the direct election of the President and Vice President by the people, with the pair of candidates receiving the greatest number of votes winning the election, which could ensure that the highest office is decided by a direct count of the citizens' votes.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Based on the provided text, there are no specific sections or provisions identified that outline negative consequences or burdens for individuals or groups of people in the United States.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make elections run better? — The resolution abolishes the electoral college and establishes a direct popular vote system for electing the President and Vice President.
- 10/1/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced in House
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.