DOVER, Del. - Lawmakers have given final approval for Delaware to give its Electoral College presidential votes to whoever wins the national popular vote, not Delaware’s vote.

The House voted 24-17 on Thursday to join 11 other Democratic-leaning states in a popular-vote compact. If the Democratic governors in Delaware, Colorado and New Mexico each sign their respective bills, the compact would have 189 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to elect the president.

The initiative was launched after Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000 but lost to George W. Bush. It gained steam after Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump.

Supporters say the change would make candidates pay more attention to voters outside traditional “battleground” states.

Opponents say the initiative circumvents the Constitution and would result in candidates focusing their attention on major metropolitan areas.