National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. |
passed in both houses (2) passed in one house (1) passed in one committee (6) failed in the legislature (3) introduced (27) no legislation pending (11 + DC)
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is a proposed agreement between states in the U.S. dealing with their allocation of electoral votes. This interstate compact, if enacted by enough states, would effectively shift the method of election of the President of the United States to a national popular vote system.
By terms of the compact, states agree to give all of their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner, not the winner in their own state. The compact would only go into effect once it was joined by states representing a controlling majority of the electoral college (270 votes in 2000). In the unlikely event of a tie in the national popular vote, the winner would be determined by individual states' electoral votes.
Such a plan was first proposed in 2001 by brothers and law professors Akhil Amar and Vikram Amar. The plan drew much wider national attention in 2006 when it was endorsed and publicized by the non-profit group National Popular Vote. National Popular Vote's advisory committee consists in part of former US Senators and Representatives, including former Senators Jake Garn, Birch Bayh, and David Durenberger, and former Representatives John Anderson, John Buchanan, and Tom Campbell.
The project has been endorsed by several newspapers, including the New York Times,[1] the Chicago Sun-Times,[2] the Los Angeles Times[3] and the Minneapolis Star Tribune[4] arguing that the existing system discourages voter turnout and leaves emphasis on only a few states and a few issues, while a popular election would equalize voting power. An article by Pete du Pont, a former governor of Delaware, in the opinion section of the Wall Street Journal[5] has reacted against it, stating it to be an urban power grab that would shift politics entirely to urban issues in high population states and allow lower caliber candidates to run.
Contents |
[edit] Status
[edit] States which did not pass the compact into law as of 2007
| State | Electoral votes |
Date | Bill(s) | Lower house | Upper house | Governor | Final outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Colorado |
9 | 2006 | SB 06-223 | — | passed | — | failed |
| 2007 | SB 07-046 | failed[6] | passed[7] | — | failed | ||
 Montana |
3 | 2007 | SB 290 | — | failed[8] | — | failed[8] |
 North Dakota |
3 | 2007 | HB 1336 | failed[8] | — | — | failed[8] |
[edit] States which have not yet voted on the compact in 2007
| State | Electoral votes |
Date | Bill(s) | Lower house | Upper house | Governor | Final outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alabama |
9 | 2007 | HB 192 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Alaska |
3 | 2007 | SB 128 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Arizona |
10 | 2007 | HB 2297, SB 1451 | introduced[7] | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Arkansas |
6 | 2007 | HB 1703 | passed[7] | introduced[7] | — | — |
 California |
55 | 2006 | AB 2948 | passed[9] | passed[9] | vetoed[9] | failed[9] |
| 2007 | SB 37 | — | introduced[7] | — | — | ||
 Connecticut |
7 | 2007 | HB 6000 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Delaware |
3 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 District of Columbia |
3 | — | none (congressional legislation) |
— | — | — | — |
 Florida |
27 | 2007 | SB 2568 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Georgia |
15 | 2007 | HB 630 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Hawaii |
4 | 2007 | HB 234, SB 1956 | passed[7] | passed[7] | pending | — |
 Idaho |
4 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 Illinois |
21 | 2006 | HB 5777, SB 2724 | introduced[10] | introduced[11] | — | failed |
| 2007 | HB 858, SB 78 | introduced[7] | introduced[12] | — | — | ||
 Indiana |
11 | 2007 | HB 1807 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Iowa |
7 | 2007 | HSB 147, SSB 1103 | introduced[7] | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Kansas |
6 | 2007 | SB 150 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Kentucky |
8 | 2007 | HB 550 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Louisiana |
9 | 2006 | HB 927 | introduced[13] | — | — | failed |
| — | none | — | — | — | — | ||
 Maine |
4 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 Maryland |
10 | 2007 | HB 148, SB 634 | passed[7] | passed[7] | pending | — |
 Massachusetts |
12 | 2007 | ___ | introduced[7] | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Michigan |
17 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 Minnesota |
10 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 Mississippi |
6 | 2007 | SB 2284 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Missouri |
11 | 2006 | HB 2090 | introduced[14] | — | — | failed |
| 2007 | HB 289 | introduced[7] | — | — | — | ||
 Nebraska |
5 | — | none | — | — | — | |
 Nevada |
5 | 2007 | AB 384 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 New Hampshire |
4 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 New Jersey |
15 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 New Mexico |
5 | 2007 | SB 666 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 New York |
31 | 2006 | A11563 | introduced[15] | — | — | failed |
| 2007 | A03883 | introduced[7] | — | — | — | ||
 North Carolina |
15 | 2007 | SB 760 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Ohio |
20 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 Oklahoma |
7 | 2007 | HB 1466 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Oregon |
7 | 2007 | HB 3325 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Pennsylvania |
21 | 2007 | HB 1028 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Rhode Island |
4 | 2007 | S 0201 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 South Carolina |
8 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 South Dakota |
3 | 2007 | HB 1295 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Tennessee |
11 | 2007 | HB 841, SB 811 | introduced[7] | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Texas |
34 | 2007 | HB 3566, SB 520 | introduced[16] | introduced[17] | — | — |
 Utah |
5 | 2007 | HB 346 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Vermont |
3 | 2007 | H 373 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
 Virginia |
13 | 2007 | HB 2742, SB 864 | introduced[7] | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Washington |
11 | 2007 | HB 1750, SB 5628 | introduced[7] | introduced[7] | — | — |
 West Virginia |
5 | 2007 | SB 482 | — | introduced[7] | — | — |
 Wisconsin |
10 | — | none | — | — | — | — |
 Wyoming |
3 | 2007 | HB 190 | introduced[7] | — | — | — |
[edit] Notes
- ^ New York Times endorsement
- ^ Chicago Sun-Times endorsement
- ^ Los Angeles Timese endorsement
- ^ Minneapolis Star Tribune endorsement
- ^ Wall Street Journal article
- ^ http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5403583,00.html
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar National Popular Vote
- ^ a b c d Wetzel, Dale. "Popular vote plan dies in N.D., Mont.", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2007-02-08. Retrieved on February 16, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Official California Legislative Information accessed Jan 28, 2007, 10:17PM
- ^ http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=5777&GAID=8&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=25606&SessionID=50&GA=94
- ^ http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2724&GAID=8&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=23676&SessionID=50&GA=94
- ^ http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=78&GAID=9&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=27294&SessionID=51&GA=95
- ^ http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/History.asp?sessionid=06RS&billid=HB927
- ^ http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/action/aHB2090.htm
- ^ http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A11563
- ^ http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HB03566I.htm
- ^ http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/SB00520I.htm
