Many of the Democrats are critical of the Electoral College which elects the president of the United States of America. Instead of having a direct election of the president, there are electors representing each state. The number of each state’s electors is determined by the number of Senators and Representative in Congress.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently issued a ruling in a case on “faithless electors,” Baca v. Colorado Department of State, that has received some media attention. The case is certainly interesting and the opinion from the court is thoughtful and thorough. The opinion from the court is deserving of some explanation of what it could mean for 2020 and beyond. There has also been speculation of the decision’s impact on the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which is also deserving of explanation.

Radical changes to federal election law have become cause célèbre of Democrats. The House has already passed the For the Politicians Act, H.R. 1, on party lines. Although H.R. 1 has no chance of passage in the Senate, Democrats are discussing other changes to federal elections, including abolishing the Electoral College.

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Here in Colorado, there's a move being pushed by Democrats in the state legislature to join an "interstate compact" that would, if states representing 270 electoral votes or more join, give those states' electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, essentially ensuring that we have moved to direct democracy in this country -- just what our Founders were wisely trying to avoid.