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mvymvy

(309 posts)
21. 49% of the way to going into effect - Enacted by 3 jurisdictions among the 13 smallest states
Wed Feb 1, 2012, 09:02 PM
Feb 2012

You don't understand the bill. No state would ever award half of their electoral votes to each candidate.

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC)

The candidate with the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC would get all the 270+ electoral votes from the enacting states. That majority of electoral votes guarantees the candidate with the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC wins the presidency.

The bill says: "Any member state may withdraw from this agreement, except that a withdrawal occurring six months or less before the end of a President’s term shall not become effective until a President or Vice President shall have been qualified to serve the next term."

Any attempt by a state to pull out of the compact in violation of its terms would violate the Impairments Clause of the U.S. Constitution and would be void. Such an attempt would also violate existing federal law. Compliance would be enforced by Federal court action

Now with state-by-state winner-take-all laws (not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, but since enacted by 48 states), under which all of a state's electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state, presidential elections ignore 12 of the 13 lowest population states (3-4 electoral votes), that are non-competitive in presidential elections. 6 regularly vote Republican (AK, ID, MT, WY, ND, and SD), and 6 regularly vote Democratic (RI, DE, HI, VT, ME, and DC) in presidential elections. Voters in states that are reliably red or blue don't matter. Candidates ignore those states and the issues they care about most.

Support for a national popular vote is strong in every smallest state surveyed in recent polls among Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters, as well as every demographic group. Support in smaller states (3 to 5 electoral votes): AK -70%, DC -76%, DE --75%, ID -77%, ME - 77%, MT- 72%, NE - 74%, NH--69%, NE - 72%, NM - 76%, RI - 74%, SD- 71%, UT- 70%, VT - 75%, WV- 81%, and WY- 69%.

In the lowest population states, the National Popular Vote bill has passed in nine state legislative chambers, including the Delaware House of Representatives in June 2011, and been enacted by three jurisdictions.

2,110 state legislators (in 50 states) have sponsored and/or cast recorded votes in favor of the bill.

In Gallup polls since 1944, only about 20% of the public has supported the current system of awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in each separate state (with about 70% opposed and about 10% undecided). Support for a national popular vote is strong among Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters, as well as every demographic group in virtually every state surveyed in recent polls in closely divided Battleground states: CO – 68%, FL – 78%, IA 75%, MI – 73%, MO – 70%, NH – 69%, NV – 72%, NM– 76%, NC – 74%, OH – 70%, PA – 78%, VA – 74%, and WI – 71%; in Small states (3 to 5 electoral votes): AK – 70%, DC – 76%, DE – 75%, ID – 77%, ME – 77%, MT – 72%, NE 74%, NH – 69%, NV – 72%, NM – 76%, OK – 81%, RI – 74%, SD – 71%, UT – 70%, VT – 75%, WV – 81%, and WY – 69%; in Southern and Border states: AR – 80%,, KY- 80%, MS – 77%, MO – 70%, NC – 74%, OK – 81%, SC – 71%, TN – 83%, VA – 74%, and WV – 81%; and in other states polled: CA – 70%, CT – 74%, MA – 73%, MN – 75%, NY – 79%, OR – 76%, and WA – 77%. Americans believe that the candidate who receives the most votes should win.

The bill has passed 31 state legislative chambers in 21 small, medium-small, medium, and large states. The bill has been enacted by 9 jurisdictions possessing 132 electoral votes - 49% of the 270 necessary to bring the law into effect.

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0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

End the electoral college [View all] wilt the stilt Jan 2012 OP
Agreed. Here's a good mathematical case for why... Scuba Jan 2012 #1
The National Popular Vote Bill mvymvy Jan 2012 #2
It's completely unenforceable. Angleae Jan 2012 #3
Realities mvymvy Jan 2012 #5
The whole thing boils down to one question. Angleae Feb 2012 #6
Neither party will allow it to happen joeglow3 Feb 2012 #10
There are all kinds of constitutional problems with National Popular Vote. Nye Bevan Feb 2012 #14
Each state has a number of electors equal to its total Congressional representation Zebedeo Jan 2012 #4
Why must this compromise extend to the Presidential election? 2ndAmForComputers Feb 2012 #19
Sounds great, but not likely to ever happen Major Nikon Feb 2012 #7
National Popular Vote is not a constitutional amendment mvymvy Feb 2012 #9
That doesn't end the electorial college as the OP suggested Major Nikon Feb 2012 #12
National Popular Vote does not end the EC, but it does make every vote equal mvymvy Feb 2012 #15
And it's probably unconstitutional. Nye Bevan Feb 2012 #18
Would be great -IF... upi402 Feb 2012 #8
As long as you like having the interior states unpaved. nt Snake Alchemist Feb 2012 #11
No, we can't Motown_Johnny Feb 2012 #13
NPV does NOT require a constitutional amendment. It is 49% of the way to going into effect mvymvy Feb 2012 #16
What stops a state from just not doing this, or Motown_Johnny Feb 2012 #17
or if (say) Texas chooses to not participate, and declines to provide a popular vote count? Nye Bevan Feb 2012 #20
Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 6 of the United States Code Requires States to Report Totals mvymvy Feb 2012 #22
And what if Texas refuses? What's the remedy? Nye Bevan Feb 2012 #23
49% of the way to going into effect - Enacted by 3 jurisdictions among the 13 smallest states mvymvy Feb 2012 #21
I'm still not buying it Motown_Johnny Feb 2012 #24
It would be a constitutional and administrative nightmare. Nye Bevan Feb 2012 #25
NPV achieves the goal of guaranteeing the Presidency to Candidate with most national popular votes mvymvy Feb 2012 #26
But it would be the popular vote of only the states in that 270 block Motown_Johnny Feb 2012 #29
Winner of Popular Vote in ALL 50 States and DC gets NPV's enacting states' electoral votes - 270+ mvymvy Feb 2012 #31
I'm still not buying it.. again Motown_Johnny Feb 2012 #34
see my post #13 of why this can't be done Motown_Johnny Feb 2012 #28
See Post #16 mvymvy Feb 2012 #32
Why? Don't you like a select group picking our leader for us? Rex Feb 2012 #27
It won't change much zipplewrath Feb 2012 #30
Any state that enacts the proportional approach on its own would reduce its own influence mvymvy Feb 2012 #33
About 76% of Americans and States are Ignored Under the Current System mvymvy Feb 2012 #35
When a presidential candidate spends more time in Iowa than California taught_me_patience Feb 2012 #36
That's a totally separate issue. The primary system is decided by the parties Nye Bevan Feb 2012 #37
Iowa was a swing state in 2008 taught_me_patience Feb 2012 #38
Sorry, thought you were talking about the caucuses (nt) Nye Bevan Feb 2012 #39
To answer your Q directly: "No, we cannot end it." Bruce Wayne Feb 2012 #40
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