California Senator Barbara Boxer files bill that aims to abolish the electoral college

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 26: Committee ranking member Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) questions witnesses during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing concerning cartels and the U.S. heroin epidemic, on Capitol Hill, May 26, 2016, in Washington, DC. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2002 to 2013 the rate of heroin-related deaths quadrupled in the United States, with most of the increase coming after 2010. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) less WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 26: Committee ranking member Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) questions witnesses during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing concerning cartels and the U.S. heroin epidemic, on Capitol ... more Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close California Senator Barbara Boxer files bill that aims to abolish the electoral college 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

Senator Barbara Boxer has filed a piece of legislation that, if successful, would call for an amendment to the Constitution that would do away with the electoral college.

Such a bill is unlikely to pass — Boxer has co-sponsored legislation like this before to no serious interest — but in the wake of Donald Trump's win in the electoral college and Hillary Clinton's win in the popular vote, Boxer opted to revive the idea.

"In my lifetime, I have seen two elections where the winner of the general election did not win the popular vote," Boxer said in a statement about the filing. "This is the only office in the land where you can get more votes and still lose the presidency. The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately. Every American should be guaranteed that their vote counts."

Video: Donald Trump changes his tune on Electoral College

With the Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress, the bill is not expected to be successful.

President-elect Trump, who in 2012 called the electoral college a "sham," a "travesty," and a "disaster for democracy," has since changed his tune on the election process, saying on Tuesday that it "is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play."

Boxer needs at least three-fourths of the states (38) to ratify the legislation.

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