The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
Members of all political parties agree—our current method of counting votes for the election of president and vice president of the United States needs to change. The Electoral College no longer serves its function. Every vote should count equally. We must start using the national popular vote.
There is a realistic path to accomplishing this change for the 2020 elections, and beyond. We don't need a constitutional amendment to stop using the Electoral College. We only need the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
The NPVIC is an agreement among states to award all their respective electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. If states and territories totaling at least 270 electoral votes pass laws joining the National Popular Vote Compact, the compact goes into effect. The winner of the next presidential election will be determined by the national popular vote.
States do not change the way they determine their electoral votes until enough states join so that the 270 electoral vote threshold is reached. So, for example, California will only start awarding its electoral votes to the national popular vote winner (instead of the state popular vote winner) once states equaling 270 electoral votes have joined the compact.
The compact ensures that the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected. As of 2016, the NPVIC has been joined by 10 states and the District of Columbia; their 165 combined electoral votes amount to 61.1% of the 270 votes needed for it to have legal force.
If we can make eliminating the Electoral College a broad national issue—which is realistic in the wake of the recent election—then we can pass laws that would make the 2020 presidential election determined by the popular vote.
This is something we can accomplish. It starts by telling all elected officials that you support the popular vote, and that they must pass laws to have their states join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
There is a realistic path to accomplishing this change for the 2020 elections, and beyond. We don't need a constitutional amendment to stop using the Electoral College. We only need the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
The NPVIC is an agreement among states to award all their respective electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. If states and territories totaling at least 270 electoral votes pass laws joining the National Popular Vote Compact, the compact goes into effect. The winner of the next presidential election will be determined by the national popular vote.
States do not change the way they determine their electoral votes until enough states join so that the 270 electoral vote threshold is reached. So, for example, California will only start awarding its electoral votes to the national popular vote winner (instead of the state popular vote winner) once states equaling 270 electoral votes have joined the compact.
The compact ensures that the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected. As of 2016, the NPVIC has been joined by 10 states and the District of Columbia; their 165 combined electoral votes amount to 61.1% of the 270 votes needed for it to have legal force.
If we can make eliminating the Electoral College a broad national issue—which is realistic in the wake of the recent election—then we can pass laws that would make the 2020 presidential election determined by the popular vote.
This is something we can accomplish. It starts by telling all elected officials that you support the popular vote, and that they must pass laws to have their states join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.