How we elect our presidents has never been more broken. We urgently need to pick a president based on the popular vote, which will treat every voter equally.

The National Popular Vote compact is grounded in constitutional provisions giving states exclusive control over how to award electoral votes, Expand Democracy’s Rob Richie writes in an

The yawning gap between swing and spectator states destroys common Electoral College defenses. Less populous states are ignored, with Nevada the only battleground among the 31 smallest states. Most rural Americans haven’t cast a meaningful vote for president in their lifetimes.

The writer is addressing the question, "Should the Electoral College be eliminated?" (TNS) How we elect our presidents has never been more broken — and that’s saying something for an Electoral College system subject to more proposed constitutional amendments than any other topic.

The yawning gap between swing and spectator states destroys common Electoral College defenses. Less populous states are ignored, with Nevada the only battleground among the 31 smallest states. Most rural Americans haven’t cast a meaningful vote for president in their lifetimes.

States don’t have to wait. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws joining the National Popular Vote compact, which is grounded in constitutional provisions giving states exclusive control over how to award electoral votes and the power to bind their agreements.