Poll backs popular national vote for president

HARTFORD — A new poll shows Connecticut residents “overwhelmingly” support election of the president by national popular vote instead of having the electoral college decide the race.

The poll was conducted by pollster Andrew Claster and commissioned by Making Every Vote Count, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group committed to basing the presidential election on the popular vote. The group is working to get a National Popular Vote Interstate Compact approved by lawmakers across the country.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly’s Democratic leaders favor a national vote for president and plan to introduce legislation to put Connecticut on record as supporting the drive to change the voting system.

The full results of the poll were to be released on Wednesday.

A renewed drive to switch to a popular vote followed President Donald Trump’s electoral college victory in 2016. Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.