FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- A proposal to elect the president by a national popular vote has the support of Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

“I fully support a national popular vote for president. All Americans deserve to have their votes counted equally for the highest office in the country,” Malloy said in a statement. “Connecticut should join the nine other states and the District of Columbia in taking this important step.

"The candidate who wins the most votes should be president. An equal vote for every American citizen, regardless of in which state they happen to live, is the fairest and most democratic way to go.”

When enough states to represent the 270 electoral votes needed to elect the president have signed on, an inter-state compact will go into effect. Connecticut would join 10 other jurisdictions that have already enacted this legislation, currently representing 136 electoral votes of the requisite 270 necessary to elect a president.

The other jurisdictions are: California, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland., New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman said, “Unfortunately, too many presidential elections have focused on swing states, leaving a host of voters in states across the country feeling disenfranchised. The United States of America is one of the most diverse countries on earth. We should take pride in our diversity by weighing each vote equally in Presidential elections.”

The proposed legislation is HB 5126, An Act Concerning an Agreement Among the States to Elect The President of the United States by National Popular Vote. The state's Government Administration and Elections Committee held a public hearing last week in Hartford on the proposal.

Read more about the proposed legislation here.

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