Could Massachusetts be saying goodbye to the Electoral College?

BOSTON — Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for an end to the Electoral College, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has said he thinks it's simply "the wrong time," and lawmakers on Beacon Hill say they have a compromise.

From health care to Syria, the crowded field of Democrats sparred at Tuesday night's debate, but come November, there can only be one and the conversation continues whether the country should move away from the Electoral College to election by Popular Vote.

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State Rep. Shawn Dooley says don't throw it all away yet, "It's a very simple compromise between those who want a Popular Vote and those who want to stick to the Electoral College."

Dooley's bill would allow for two of Massachusetts' 11 Electoral votes to go to the candidate who captures the most votes in the state, while the remaining Electoral votes would be distributed based on the winner in each Congressional district.

"It takes each Congressional district, takes the Popular Vote from that district and assigns it to whichever candidate won," said Dooley.

A measure like this actually has been proposed on Beacon Hill around 2010. The state voted to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo voted in favor of that measure.

"I think it's more about the Democracy as a whole benefiting the country as a whole in terms of what is right in terms of our presidential candidates," DeLeo said.

A study released last month by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that in races decided by fewer than one percentage point, there's a 45% chance the Popular Vote winner still manages to lose the Electoral College.

Dooley says this bill would also make sure candidates don't ignore Massachusetts on the campaign trail.

"What this does, it puts Massachusetts back into play. During the last election, Maine had a ton of visitors from both sides all the way across the board. All day. Same with Nebraska. Two states who have smaller Electoral numbers than we do. But since they were focused on one or two, it really brought the state back into play," said Dooley.

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