A senior member of the US Senate has introduced a bill to abolish the Electoral College in the wake of Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote but losing the 2016 presidential election.

Senator Barbara Boxer from California filed the legislation in attempt to guarantee that every American's vote counts through a constitutional amendment, reports SFGate.

The veteran Democratic politician referenced that two presidential nominees in her lifetime won the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College - Al Gore in 2000 and now Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Senator Boxer said in a statement at the time of filing: "In my lifetime, I have seen two elections where the winner of the general election did not win the popular vote.

"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"The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately.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"

Due to a renewed Republican majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Senator Boxer's bill is not expected to survive Congress.

If the bill managed to pass congress and gain the President's signature, as a constituential amendment, it would need to be ratified by 38 of the 50 states.

Electoral College voting: How the United States decides its president

An online petition calling for the abolition of the Electoral College has reached over 530,000 signatures with its author Nick Bauer stating: "The Electoral College has outlasted its usefulness.

"It is part of the constitution, written when communication was by pony express.

"Voters currently living and voting in a ‘red’ or ‘blue’ state are disenfranchised, because their vote doesn’t matter."