Could WI change the way it awards electoral votes in pres. races?

MADISON (WITI) -- Wisconsin's top politicians are mulling over a change to the way Wisconsin awards its electoral votes in presidential races. The state has gone for the Democrats seven times in a row, but with Republicans in control of Madison, there could be a move to divvy up the votes based on districts.

Wisconsin, like 47 other states is the winner take all. Presidential candidates who get the majority of votes get all 10 electoral votes.

However, some top Republicans are considering changing that, and splitting them by congressional district.

Political Consultant Chris Haworth says Milwaukee and Madison are the population centers, but the rest of the state isn't necessarily reflected in the results.

"I think it's an interesting idea to look at parsing out electoral votes that way. If there's a better representation of the opinion of the voters, I think it's a moot point whether we are a battleground state," Haworth said.

It is an opinion shared by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. If that system had been in place in the 2012 election, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney would have evenly split Wisconsin's electoral votes.

"If we were to split up our electoral votes, besides the person Wisconsin votes for not getting our electoral votes, which is a pretty big deal, Wisconsin would become irrelevant to the presidency.  Right now, Wisconsin voters have a very strong role in selecting who wins the White House," Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate said.

Changing it would take an act of the Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker is neither supporting the idea nor shutting it down completely.

"It's an interesting thing to talk about. If you were to go with an idea that's been pushed out that they be proportionate to congressional districts, while it might make each district more competitive, my concern is that would somehow lead to fewer visits by candidates, particularly as we go into 2016," Gov. Walker said.

Tate calls it a sinister scheme.

"People see it for what it is, which is a blatant attempt to try to rig the White House in their favor," Tate said.

Republican-controlled state Legislatures in both Michigan and Virginia flirted with the idea in recent weeks, but both plans have been effectively shelved. In Wisconsin, Gov. Walker says he wants the Legislature to focus on jobs before any other issues.