LANSING – Governor Rick Snyder signaled he was willing to consider a major change in how Michigan awards its electoral votes in presidential elections by dropping the winner-take-all system for one based on the winner of each of the state’s congressional districts.

Snyder told The Associated Press for a story looking at Republican efforts to drop the winner-take-all system in states that have reliably gone for the Democratic presidential nominee in recent elections that he “could go either way.”

“It could be done in a thoughtful (way) over the next couple years and people can have a thoughtful discussion,” Snyder said.

And recently, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Preibus told the Wisconsin State Journal of the idea, “It’s something that a lot of states that have been consistently blue that are fully controlled red ought to be looking at.”

Michigan has gone to the Democratic candidate in the last six presidential elections. Prior to 1992, the Republican nominee had won Michigan the previous five contests.

At this point, spokespersons for the Republican majorities in the Michigan House and Senate did not indicate it is a priority item, but neither did they dismiss it.

“It is not something that has come up in our caucus,” said Amber McCann, Senate Republican spokesperson.

House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) is “interested in having it fully vetted in committee,” said Bolger spokesperson Ari Adler.

Rep. Pete Lund (R-Shelby Township) introduced a similar bill last term that went nowhere. At this point, Lund said he has not had any contact with national Republicans, who have urged state governments under total Republican control in recently reliably Democratic presidential states to move on the issue before 2014 while they still have power.

“It’s got a long way to go,” he said.

Democrats are furious at the idea. For the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, Michigan would award 14 of its 16 electoral votes according to the U.S. House district lines drawn by Republicans in 2011 to favor Republican candidates. According to an analysis by Daily Kos, in 2012, Republican Mitt Romney would have won nine of the districts and President Barack Obama the other five, so Romney would have pulled nine electoral votes to seven for Obama, who won the state by 9.5 percentage points.

Asked how such a scenario would be fair, Lund said: “I think that it takes the votes closer to the way things really are. Nobody wins the state with 100 percent of the votes. I think this just makes it a little bit closer to the reality of the percentage.”

As to Democratic complaints, Lund scoffed.

“Oh, whatever,” he said. “Mark Brewer, whoever, can say whatever they want. They always do. I’m not worried about that.”

But Lund had something of a similar message when asked about Preibus’ comments.

“Reince can say that all he wants, but it’s up to the individual states to decide and we’ll decide it on our own, not based on what any national party wants,” he said.

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