diff --git a/packages/mdc-select/component.ts b/packages/mdc-select/component.ts
index a229e86a79c..916c826090d 100644
--- a/packages/mdc-select/component.ts
+++ b/packages/mdc-select/component.ts
@@ -37,9 +37,6 @@ import {MDCSelectHelperText, MDCSelectHelperTextFactory} from './helper-text/ind
 import {MDCSelectIcon, MDCSelectIconFactory} from './icon/index';
 import {MDCSelectEventDetail, MDCSelectFoundationMap} from './types';
 
-type PointerEventType = 'mousedown' | 'touchstart';
-
-const POINTER_EVENTS: PointerEventType[] = ['mousedown', 'touchstart'];
 const VALIDATION_ATTR_WHITELIST = ['required', 'aria-required'];
 
 export class MDCSelect extends MDCComponent<MDCSelectFoundation> implements MDCRippleCapableSurface {
@@ -71,7 +68,7 @@ export class MDCSelect extends MDCComponent<MDCSelectFoundation> implements MDCR
   private handleChange_!: SpecificEventListener<'change'>; // assigned in initialize()
   private handleFocus_!: SpecificEventListener<'focus'>; // assigned in initialize()
   private handleBlur_!: SpecificEventListener<'blur'>; // assigned in initialize()
-  private handleClick_!: SpecificEventListener<PointerEventType>; // assigned in initialize()
+  private handleClick_!: SpecificEventListener<'click'>; // assigned in initialize()
   private handleKeydown_!: SpecificEventListener<'keydown'>; // assigned in initialize()
   private handleMenuOpened_!: EventListener; // assigned in initialize()
   private handleMenuClosed_!: EventListener; // assigned in initialize()
@@ -179,9 +176,7 @@ export class MDCSelect extends MDCComponent<MDCSelectFoundation> implements MDCR
     this.targetElement_.addEventListener('focus', this.handleFocus_);
     this.targetElement_.addEventListener('blur', this.handleBlur_);
 
-    POINTER_EVENTS.forEach((evtType) => {
-      this.targetElement_.addEventListener(evtType, this.handleClick_ as EventListener);
-    });
+    this.targetElement_.addEventListener('click', this.handleClick_ as EventListener);
 
     if (this.menuElement_) {
       this.selectedText_!.addEventListener('keydown', this.handleKeydown_);
@@ -215,9 +210,7 @@ export class MDCSelect extends MDCComponent<MDCSelectFoundation> implements MDCR
     this.targetElement_.removeEventListener('focus', this.handleFocus_);
     this.targetElement_.removeEventListener('blur', this.handleBlur_);
     this.targetElement_.removeEventListener('keydown', this.handleKeydown_);
-    POINTER_EVENTS.forEach((evtType) => {
-      this.targetElement_.removeEventListener(evtType, this.handleClick_ as EventListener);
-    });
+    this.targetElement_.removeEventListener('click', this.handleClick_ as EventListener);
 
     if (this.menu_) {
       this.menu_.unlisten(menuSurfaceConstants.strings.CLOSED_EVENT, this.handleMenuClosed_);
diff --git a/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select-enhanced.test.js b/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select-enhanced.test.js
index f80dd52c96b..531d5e9e1c5 100644
--- a/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select-enhanced.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select-enhanced.test.js
@@ -984,43 +984,29 @@ test(`#destroy removes the listener for the ${MDCMenuFoundation.strings.SELECTED
   document.body.removeChild(fixture);
 });
 
-test('#destroy removes the mousedown listener', () => {
-  const {bottomLine, component, fixture} = setupTest();
-  const event = document.createEvent('MouseEvent');
+test('#destroy removes the click listener', () => {
+  const {component, selectedText} = setupTest();
   const clientX = 200;
-  const clientY = 200;
-
+  component.foundation_.handleClick = td.func();
   component.destroy();
-  // IE11 mousedown event.
-  event.initMouseEvent('mousedown', true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, clientX, clientY, false, false, false, false, 0, null);
-  fixture.querySelector('.mdc-select__selected-text').dispatchEvent(event);
-
-  td.verify(bottomLine.setRippleCenter(200), {times: 0});
+  domEvents.emit(selectedText, 'click', {clientX});
+  td.verify(component.foundation_.handleClick(200), {times: 0});
 });
 
-test('mousedown on the select sets the line ripple origin', () => {
-  const {bottomLine, fixture} = setupTest();
-  const event = document.createEvent('MouseEvent');
+test('click on the selectedText calls foundation.handleClick()', () => {
+  const {component, selectedText} = setupTest();
   const clientX = 200;
-  const clientY = 200;
-  // IE11 mousedown event.
-  event.initMouseEvent('mousedown', true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, clientX, clientY, false, false, false, false, 0, null);
-  fixture.querySelector('.mdc-select__selected-text').dispatchEvent(event);
-
-  td.verify(bottomLine.setRippleCenter(200), {times: 1});
+  component.foundation_.handleClick = td.func();
+  domEvents.emit(selectedText, 'click', {clientX});
+  td.verify(component.foundation_.handleClick(200), {times: 1});
 });
 
-test('mousedown on the select does nothing if the it does not have a lineRipple', () => {
-  const hasOutline = true;
-  const {bottomLine, fixture} = setupTest(hasOutline);
-  const event = document.createEvent('MouseEvent');
+test('click on the selectedText focuses on the selectedText element', () => {
+  const {selectedText} = setupTest();
   const clientX = 200;
-  const clientY = 200;
-  // IE11 mousedown event.
-  event.initMouseEvent('mousedown', true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, clientX, clientY, false, false, false, false, 0, null);
-  fixture.querySelector('.mdc-select__selected-text').dispatchEvent(event);
-
-  td.verify(bottomLine.setRippleCenter(200), {times: 0});
+  selectedText.focus = td.func();
+  domEvents.emit(selectedText, 'click', {clientX});
+  td.verify(selectedText.focus(), {times: 1});
 });
 
 test('menu surface opened event causes the first element (if not element is selected) to be focused', () => {
diff --git a/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select.test.js b/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select.test.js
index a32f7c30caa..413c0b634af 100644
--- a/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/mdc-select/mdc-select.test.js
@@ -577,43 +577,22 @@ test('#destroy removes the blur handler', () => {
   td.verify(component.foundation_.handleBlur(), {times: 0});
 });
 
-test('mousedown on the select sets the line ripple origin', () => {
-  const {bottomLine, fixture} = setupTest();
-  const event = document.createEvent('MouseEvent');
+test('click on the select calls foundation.handleClick()', () => {
+  const {component, nativeControl} = setupTest();
   const clientX = 200;
-  const clientY = 200;
-  // IE11 mousedown event.
-  event.initMouseEvent('mousedown', true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, clientX, clientY, false, false, false, false, 0, null);
-  fixture.querySelector('select').dispatchEvent(event);
-
-  td.verify(bottomLine.setRippleCenter(200), {times: 1});
+  component.foundation_.handleClick = td.func();
+  domEvents.emit(nativeControl, 'click', {clientX});
+  td.verify(component.foundation_.handleClick(200), {times: 1});
 });
 
-test('mousedown on the select does nothing if the it does not have a lineRipple', () => {
-  const hasOutline = true;
-  const {bottomLine, fixture} = setupTest(hasOutline);
-  const event = document.createEvent('MouseEvent');
-  const clientX = 200;
-  const clientY = 200;
-  // IE11 mousedown event.
-  event.initMouseEvent('mousedown', true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, clientX, clientY, false, false, false, false, 0, null);
-  fixture.querySelector('select').dispatchEvent(event);
 
-  td.verify(bottomLine.setRippleCenter(200), {times: 0});
-});
-
-test('#destroy removes the mousedown listener', () => {
-  const {bottomLine, component, fixture} = setupTest();
-  const event = document.createEvent('MouseEvent');
+test('#destroy removes the click listener', () => {
+  const {component, nativeControl} = setupTest();
   const clientX = 200;
-  const clientY = 200;
-
+  component.foundation_.handleClick = td.func();
   component.destroy();
-  // IE11 mousedown event.
-  event.initMouseEvent('mousedown', true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, clientX, clientY, false, false, false, false, 0, null);
-  fixture.querySelector('select').dispatchEvent(event);
-
-  td.verify(bottomLine.setRippleCenter(200), {times: 0});
+  domEvents.emit(nativeControl, 'click', {clientX});
+  td.verify(component.foundation_.handleClick(200), {times: 0});
 });
 
 test('keydown is not added to the native select when initialized', () => {