National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 

The LWV believes that direct election of the President is essential for a representative democratic government.

Direct election of the President could be accomplished a couple of ways:
• Change the U.S. Constitution to a direct election for the President including provisions for a national runoff election in the event no candidate received 40% of the vote. – Very hard to do and not flexible as the nation changes.
• Or, the states could pass laws that would recognize the winner of the election is the candidate who receives the most votes in all 50 states (and D.C).

The National Popular Vote
• State legislatures enact a law pledging all their state’s electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes of ALL 50 States and D.C. combined, not just the votes in the participating states.
• 270-vote trigger. The bill would take effect ONLY when enacted by enough states to reach a
majority of electoral votes – 270 of the 538.
• This bill guarantees the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most votes in ALL 50 states and D.C.
• This bill must be passed by the legislatures of the enacting states because the U.S. Constitution says that the state legislature appoints and directs the electors.

Status of National Popular Vote in the US
• 15 states and the District of Colombia have passed NPV = 196 electoral votes. Those states include:
• CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA • Only 74 more electoral votes needed! Then the compact can go into effect.

Approximately 65%-75% of voters nationwide support electing the President by a direct vote.
Missouri Voter support: 2015 Missouri Voter Survey showed 75% overall support for the idea that the President should be the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states.
History of National Popular Vote Legislation in Missouri
• 2018, 2017 – NPV bill introduced by Rep. John Carpenter(D)
• 2016 – NPV bills introduced by Dave Schatz (R), Tony Dugger(R), Jeremy LaFaver(D), and supported by 58 legislators

National Popular Vote Summary
• NPV guarantees the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and D.C.).
• Every voter in every state will be relevant in every presidential campaign.
• Every vote will be equally meaningful in every election.
• Voting power for all citizens is fair.
• Campaigns would no longer ignore 2/3 of the states. More voter’s interests would be addressed.
• NPV encourages a culture of higher voter turnout when every voter feels important.
NPV Fact Sheet 12-28-19
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and D.C.)  State legislatures replace current state-level tally, winner-take-all laws with a law that elects as President the candidate who is the national popular vote winner.

Background:

The U.S. Constitution established the Electoral College to elect the President of the United States.

The Constitution gives state legislatures the power to choose the method of picking electors.

Presidents are elected by the number of electoral votes they receive.

Five out of 45 Presidents have come into office without having won the most popular votes. Five times the second-place candidate won!

• Nationwide, there are 538 electors. 435 in House + 100 in Senate + 3 for DC = 538 electoral votes total U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, etc. get none.
• A candidate must receive the majority – 270 electoral votes or more – to win.
• According to the Constitution, if no candidate gets 270 votes, the House of Representatives meets to decide the winner.

Electors represent a different number of people in each state.
For example:
Wyoming – 3 electors; 573,720 population……. 1 elector : 191,240 people
Missouri – 10 electors; 6.14 million population……. 1 elector : 614,000 people
California – 55 electors; 39.78 million population…… 1 elector : 723,300 people
Florida – 29 electors; 21.31 million population…… 1 elector : 734,800 people

An elector represents a different number of people in each state and this is unfair and undemocratic. The current state-level tally, “winner-take-all” electoral college system violates the “one-person, one vote” ideal for a representative democracy.

Here is a link to more information about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact:  National Popular Vote

Here is a link to a PowerPoint presentation about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact: NPV PowerPoint