The New York Times editorial board is calling for the abolishment of the Electoral College, following Republican Donald Trump's win even after losing the national popular vote.

In an editorial published Monday night, the Times said the Electoral College is outdated and that the president should be elected by a popular vote.

"By overwhelming majorities, Americans would prefer to elect the president by direct popular vote, not filtered through the antiquated mechanism of the Electoral College," the paper said. "They understand, on a gut level, the basic fairness of awarding the nation's highest office on the same basis as every other elected office — to the person who gets the most votes."

The Times acknowledged that Trump won fairly but that "the rules should change so that a presidential election reflects the will of Americans and promotes a more participatory democracy."

On Monday, electors officially cast their votes to make Trump the next president. He got 304 votes, well above the required 270.

Trump did not, however, get the most votes. He fell short of Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 2.8 million.

National polls also show that more Americans want to get rid of the Electoral College system than those who want to keep it.

"For most reasonable people," the Times said, "it's hard to understand why the loser of the popular vote should wind up running the country."