Proposed Electoral College Changes Could Help GOP in Swing States

Under a new plan proposed by Republicans in Virginia and other key battleground states, electoral college votes would no longer be allocated solely by statewide popular vote.

Had the plan been in place during the most recent election, President Obama would have won just four of Virginia's 13 electoral votes in the past election, rather than all of them. And according to the Huffington Post, had the 2012 election been apportioned in every state according to these new Republican plans, Mitt Romney would have led Obama by at least 11 electoral votes.

According to the Washington Post and other media outlets, the plan would allocate all but two electoral votes by congressional districts won, and the last two by statewide popular vote. In almost all states, including Georgia, the electoral vote is now apportioned solely by the statewide popular vote.

The other states pondering such changes are Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Like Virginia, their electoral votes went to Obama in 2012, although the states are controlled by Republicans at the state level.

However, Virginia is moving the fastest, the Washington Post reported. The state Senate could vote as soon as next week. If the legislation passes, Virginia would become the third state to adopt such a system, after Nebraska and Maine.

Also, Virginia proposes to allocate its two remaining votes not to the candidate who wins the statewide popular vote, but to the candidate who wins the majority of congressional districts.