Poll: Majority of Americans believe popular vote, not electoral college, should decide elections

A new poll out Monday shows that a majority of Americans believe the Electoral College should be abolished in future presidential elections.

The McClatchy-Marist poll revealed that 52 percent of registered voters think that the popular vote should be the deciding factor in future elections, and 45 percent think the Electoral College should remain in place. Three percent of those polled were unsure.

President-elect Donald Trump's victory this November was contingent on his victories in key states, not just the popular vote, which was won by his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

“It’s the second time in the last five presidential elections that the winner of the popular vote does not assume the presidency,” Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement. “No wonder there is controversy over the method of selecting a president.”

More Democrats than Republicans believe in abolishing the system — 78 percent. On the other hand, 67 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of independents prefer to keep the system in place.

The poll came out on the same day that the Electoral College is choosing the next U.S. president. There have been rumors of so-called "faithless electors" deciding to cast their bound votes for someone besides Trump, regardless of the consequences, but they're facing an uphill battle.