National Popular Vote
The current state-based winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes effectively narrows elections to a contest in a relatively small number of “battleground” states. Because of this, the voices and desires of voters in two out of three states are routinely ignored by presidential campaigns. The National Popular Vote will guarantee that every vote in every state will be politically relevant in every presidential campaign. It will make every American’s vote equal.
The state-based winner-take-all method is not in the Constitution. It was not mentioned in the Federalist Papers. It was used by only three states in the nation’s first presidential election, in 1789, and all three repealed it by 1800. (1) The current system is an evolution of decades of politics and was not put into place nationwide until the mid-19th Century. (2) Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution grants states the right to decide how to award their electoral votes. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is the simple, elegant solution to the state-based winner-take-all problem. REFERENCES
The Case for National Popular Vote
National Popular Vote would ensure the relevance of every voter in every state in every presidential election. This promise of relevance would empower individual voters and encourage increased voter turnout. It would create an incentive for presidential candidates to campaign for every voter, not just the ones living in battleground states. Presidential campaigns would be forced to run truly national elections and cater their campaigns to the needs of the nation as a whole.
CONTINUE READING
Q & A
As is the case with any election reform or any change to the election system, people have questions about how NPV fits into the current legal framework for elections, about the mechanics of NPV for both voters and election administrators, and about the political implications of NPV. How could such a significant change to the American election system mesh with the law and with the country’s voting traditions? CONTINUE READING
How National Popular Vote Works
The National Popular Vote is a state-based approach that fully preserves the Electoral College, state control of elections, and the power of the states to control how the president is elected. National Popular Vote would be enacted through an agreement among states, known as an interstate compact. These are quite common (the average state is a member of about 25) and are effectively contracts between states. (12) CONTINUE READING
For More Information, See:
“Answering Myths”
https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/answering-myths
“National Popular Vote: Bipartisan Reform to Presidential Elections” https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/01/15/national_popular_vote_bipartisan_reform_to_presidential_elections_142147.html
“Would a National Popular Vote Make Every Vote Count?”
https://www.theregreview.org/2019/10/16/mancuso-would-national-popular-vote-make-every-vote-count/
“National Popular Vote History and Status”
https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/national-popular-vote.aspx
“What if We Just Counted Up All the Votes for President and Saw Who Won?” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/opinion/sunday/presidential-election-popular-vote.html
“National Popular Vote Explained”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ZOiiMjIxE