Connecticut House Passes NPV

Becomes 28th State Legislature to Approve National Popular Vote for President

The Connecticut House of Representatives yesterday narrowly approved the state’s entry into the National Popular Vote plan. The bill must now pass the state senate and win the signature of the governor. If that happens, Connecticut would join the other member states in agreeing to allocate all of its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, neutralizing the undemocratic Electoral College system. So far, the agreement has been passed in Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey, and just last week, Washington State. Connecticut’s addition of 7 electoral votes would give the plan 68, over a quarter of the way toward the required 270.

State Rep. Thomas Drew hit the nail on the head when he told the Connecticut Postthat the Electoral College “actually distorts democracy,” and Rep. James F. Spallone noted that moving to direct election of the president would “enhance confidence, participation and excitement in small states and big states alike.”

Local Coverage:

• Connecticut Post
  
• Hartford Courant
  
• The Day
  

[Blog post on the bill's passage]
[FairVote's FAQ on NPV & Direct Election of the President]
[National Popular Vote homepage]

Washington State Enacts NPV

On April, 28, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed National Popular Vote (NPV) legislation, making Washington the 5th state after Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey to sign the legislation. These five states have a total of 61 electoral votes, just less than a quarter of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring the compact into effect.
 
27 state legislative chambers in 17 states have passed the NPV plan, including Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont most recently. Introduced in 48 legislatures since its launch in 2006, the bill has earned the support of more than 1650 state representatives. Recent polls indicate more than 70% of voters across a full range of states support a national popular vote of the president.

[The Olympian Article on WA Passing NPV]
[Longview Daily News and Columbian Editorials on NPV]
[FairVote's FAQ on NPV & Direct Election of the President]
[Rob Richie’s Blog Post]
[National Popular Vote]

New Report Highlights FairVote Reforms

Barriers to Participation Exist, Despite High Turnout

A new report by the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network, titled, “America Goes to the Polls: A Report on Voter Turnout in the 2008 Election,” highlights the need for several FairVote reforms, including a national popular vote for president, greater uniformity in election administration, instant runoff voting, and universal voter registration. The authors recommend setting federal standards for running elections, introducing ranked choice voting to promote competition and implementing automatic voter registration, where Election Day Registration is a national standard. The report cites FairVote’s “Shrinking Battleground” series that tracks campaign visits and spending throughout the 2008 election cycle, concluding, “the winner-take-all and balkanized dynamics of the Electoral College have a negative impact on voter turnout.” In the forward, George Mason University Professor and Brookings Fellow, Dr. Michael P. McDonald, writes, “a national popular vote for president may hold the key to further increasing American voter participation.”

[America Goes to the Polls]
[FairVote’s Shrinking Battleground]
[National Popular Vote for President]
[Professor McDonald’s U.S. Elections Project]

Big Wins Continue for National Popular Vote

NPV Legislation Passes Passes House in OR and CO and Senate in WA

On March, 13, the Oregon House and Washington State Senate passed National Popular Vote (NPV) legislation, making it the 24th state house to pass the legislation. With bipartisan support, the Oregon housed passed the bill 39-19, including 8 Republicans.

These milestones ride in the wake of other recent success in New Mexico, where the State House also voted to pass NPV legislation. NPV is a national effort to enact an interstate compact ensuring that the winner of the popular vote wins the presidency. The compact will go into effect once states totaling 270 electoral votes enact the legislation.

The NPV bill has been introduced in 47 states with a total of 1,246 state legislators endorsing the legislation. Representing nearly a fifth of the necessary electoral votes to implement NPV, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey have already passed the legislation. Recent polls indicate more than 70% of voters support NPV in a full range of states.

[FairVote's Case for NPV]
[National Popular Vote]
[Story in The Oregonian]
March 17 Update! [Colorado House 25th Chamber to Pass NPV]