In two of the past five presidential elections, the candidate who won the popular vote lost the election. And in every presidential race, candidates are forced to focus their attention on only a handful of competitive swing states -- ignoring the vast majority of voters nationwide.

Our winner-take-all Electoral College system is responsible for these anti-democracy outcomes. But right now, we have the opportunity to make presidential elections more inclusive and competitive with the National Popular Vote Compact.

Here’s how it works: states have the right to decide how they award their electoral votes -- so if enough states require their electors to vote for the winner of the nationwide popular vote (rather than the state’s popular vote), it would fix the problems of the Electoral College without needing to amend the Constitution.

National Popular Vote won’t take effect until enough states have joined in, but we’re closer to that than you might think -- 12 states and the District of Columbia have signed on already, totaling 181 electoral votes of the needed 270. New Mexico and Delaware are also set to join the compact soon.

Every state should follow suit and join the National Popular Vote Compact. We deserve a president who is chosen by the will of the people -- and presidential races that encourage candidates to engage with voters in all 50 states.