Virginia Senate Kills Bill to Alter Electoral College

The GOP's push to muck with the Electoral College hit a major stumbling block yesterday, when a Virginia state Senate committee shelved a bill that would have allotted the state's electoral votes by congressional district. Republicans in swing states around the country are pushing similar bills, but Virginia's was the fastest moving. Sponsor Charles Carrico failed to convince the committee to advance the measure, even after he modified it somewhat, the Washington Post reports. It seemed doomed anyway, with Gov. Bob McDonnell declaring that abandoning the winner-take-all system would be a "bad idea." (More Charles Carrico stories.)