National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Digi Mart USA News: For the first time, a controversial plan to choose the US president by national popular vote, rather than through the electoral college, appears to be within reach. Supporters say recent midterm results and changes in state governments have made the idea more realistic than at any point before.
Five US presidents have won office despite losing the national popular vote, twice in the 21st century and three times in the 19th century. Under the constitution, the president is chosen by an electoral college in which each state receives as many electors as it has senators and representatives.
Because of this formula, smaller states have proportionally more electors per voter than larger ones.
Most states award all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state, a system known as “winner takes all.” Critics argue that this structure discourages turnout in states where one party dominates and concentrates campaign attention on a small number of swing states such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. In the six presidential elections of the 2000s, more than 90% of campaign events were held in about a dozen battleground states.
The alternative under discussion is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under the plan, participating state legislatures would pass laws committing their presidential electors to the candidate who wins the most votes nationwide.
The compact would take effect only once states representing at least 270 electoral votes join. Before this week, 18 states plus Washington, DC, had joined, totaling 222 electoral votes.
This week Democrats gained control of state legislatures and governorships in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada, none of which have yet passed the compact. Those states carry 61 electoral votes, with Alaska still in play.
Supporters say the shift could make the compact achievable in the coming years.
Opponents face significant hurdles. Amending the US Constitution requires two-thirds support in both houses of Congress, and the compact is expected to face a legal challenge in the Supreme Court because the Constitution restricts certain agreements between states.
Republican-controlled legislatures have also expressed opposition, fearing the plan would concentrate electoral power in Democratic strongholds.
Supporters of the compact, including campaigner Patrick Rosenstiel, argue that every voter should be politically relevant regardless of where they live. The National Popular Vote Campaign described the plan as “Simple.
Fair. Within reach.” Interest in the idea has also surged, with Google Trends showing a 450% increase in searches for “national popular vote” this week and a 1,600% increase compared with last year.
