{"id":2223532,"date":"2024-04-17T17:32:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T21:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-popular-vote-scheme-aims-to-erase-electoral-colleges-protections-for-stat\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T17:37:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T21:37:34","slug":"national-popular-vote-scheme-aims-to-erase-electoral-colleges-protections-for-stat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-popular-vote-scheme-aims-to-erase-electoral-colleges-protections-for-stat\/","title":{"rendered":"The &#8216;National Popular Vote&#8217; initiative seeks to eliminate the Electoral College&#8217;s safeguards for states"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnational-popular-vote-scheme-aims-to-erase-electoral-colleges-protections-for-stat%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2223532&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2062text \u2064discusses\u2064 Maine Governor Janet Mills&#8217; decision not\u2062 to \u2064sign \u200ca controversial bill aligning Maine with the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which passed the state\u2064 House of Representatives by\u2062 a narrow margin.\u2063 This move makes Maine\u200b the\u2063 17th state to join the compact, sparking debate on\u2064 the implications of \u2062the National Popular Vote system. The article addresses Maine Governor \u2063Janet\u200b Mills&#8217; choice \u200bto abstain from signing\u2063 a divisive bill linking Maine with the National Popular Vote Interstate \u2063Compact. Despite passing\u2062 narrowly in the state House of Representatives, this decision positions Maine as the 17th state to participate \u2064in the compact, prompting discussions on the potential effects of the National Popular Vote system.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>By doing nothing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/governor\/mills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Maine Gov. Janet Mills <\/a>helped strengthen the<a href=\"https:\/\/billofrightsinstitute.org\/primary-sources\/federalist-no-51\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> tyranny of the majority.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>The two-term Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/maine-national-popular-vote-compact-2a345dc04d7e3937c4857577523a3a11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this week<\/a> took the coward\u2019s way out, letting a controversial bill that brings Maine into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalpopularvote.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Popular Vote Interstate Compact <\/a>become law by not signing it. The bill earlier this month passed the state House of Representatives by just one vote \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainepublic.org\/politics\/2024-04-02\/bill-joining-maine-in-popular-vote-compact-narrowly-clears-house\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">73 to 72<\/a> \u2014 and Mills, critics say, is hedging her bets. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1604455549\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6c3c2b091659b9b4f63f232da835cd65 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6c3c2b091659b9b4f63f232da835cd65\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201c\u2026[R]ecognizing that there is merit to both sides of the argument, and recognizing that this measure has been the subject of public discussion several times before in Maine, I would like this important nationwide debate to continue and so I will allow this bill to become law without my signature,\u201d the Democrat said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/governor\/mills\/news\/governor-mills-allows-national-popular-vote-legislation-become-law-without-her-signature-2024#:~:text=%E2%80%9CStill%20recognizing%20that%20there%20is,become%20law%20without%20my%20signature.%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Electoral College <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/maine-brings-us-one-step-closer-to-ending-electoral-college\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">haters rejoiced<\/a>, insisting that Maine brings proponents of the national popularity contest \u201cone step closer\u201d to ending the Founder\u2019s ingenious system of electing presidents. But the constitutionally suspect compact will need much more than Maine to turn a long-time leftist dream into a reality. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Battle for Big Blue States<\/h2>\n<p>Mills\u2019 political inertia made Maine the 17th state to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). Washington, D.C. also is a member. Under the agreement, member states would give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the most votes nationally \u2014 even if a compact state overwhelmingly voted for another candidate. <\/p>\n<p>The winner doesn\u2019t have to win a majority of votes, he just has to win the most. And there\u2019s no runoff provision. So big blue state California and its <a href=\"https:\/\/elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov\/ror\/154day-presprim-2024\/historical-reg-stats.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">22.1 million registered voters <\/a>(26.67 million eligible) becomes a coveted prize and outsized force in electing a president under the National Popular Vote system. So also for red state Texas and its nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.state.tx.us\/elections\/historical\/70-92.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18 million registered voters.<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-255d686454ed0065f9c5233d58355b20 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-255d686454ed0065f9c5233d58355b20\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe votes of large states with major cities like California and New York will now dominate our Presidential elections at the expense of smaller, rural states,\u201d the Maine GOP said in a statement. \u201cIf Mainers vote for a different candidate than the candidate winning the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/6-steps-the-democrats-will-take-to-fundamentally-alter-america-and-ensure-their-permanent-power\/\" title=\"6 Steps The Democrats Will Take To Fundamentally Alter America And Ensure Their Permanent Power\">national popular vote<\/a>, state electors will be bound to vote for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-hill-columnist-the-constitution-isnt-working\/\" title=\"The Hill Columnist: The Constitution Isn\u2019t Working\">popular vote winner<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The agreement is supposed to take effect when the number of states in the compact reaches the electoral vote majority (270). With the addition of Maine, the number of electoral votes ostensibly committed to the NPVIC stands at 209. The Pine Tree State currently is among two states that splits its electoral votes. <\/p>\n<p>Not surprisingly, the member states lean left, some harder than others. California and its 54 electoral votes is one of the members of the compact, joining in 2011, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalpopularvote.com\/state\/ny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York<\/a> brought its 28 Electoral College votes to the party in 2014, while Illinois (19) was one of the first states to pass and sign legislation in 2008. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gamemaker  <\/h2>\n<p>The National Popular Vote compact movement grew out the left\u2019s animus for George W. Bush, the ignorance of the electorate, and the fortune of a lottery industry mogul. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7755fcc8e05b83a58eab31e96d8cdc77 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7755fcc8e05b83a58eab31e96d8cdc77\"><\/div>\n<p>San Francisco-based lottery scratch-card inventor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/john-koza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Koza<\/a> and election attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/barry-fadem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Barry Fadem<\/a> lobbied for a way to water down the Electoral College, which they claim is inherently unfair. The left was up in arms following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/electoral-college\/2000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2000 election<\/a> in which Republican George W. Bush won a majority of Electoral College votes but lost the popular vote. The rage meter snapped when political outsider Donald Trump did the same in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/electoral-college\/2016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2016<\/a>, beating swamp creature Hillary Clinton. <\/p>\n<p>The National Popular Vote organization was born in 2006, with Maryland becoming the first state to join the compact in 2007. <\/p>\n<p>Koza, chairman of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/national-popular-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NPV<\/a>, has long had a fascination with the founding electoral math. He developed and published an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalpopularvote.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Electoral College board game<\/a> in 1966. As activist tracker InfluenceWatch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/john-koza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">notes,<\/a> Koza was the \u201cco-founder and CEO of Scientific Games Inc., where he co-invented the scratch-off lottery ticket. During the 1980s, he teamed with lawyer Barry Fadem, his now-associate at NPV, to promote lotteries in various states across the country through citizen initiatives and in state legislatures.\u201d He\u2019s got lots of experience with interstate compacts. <\/p>\n<p>Koza has also spent millions of dollars on numerous Democrat campaigns, with his political generosity extending to the \u201cDemocratic National Committee and liberal organizations such as MoveOn and the National Progress Fund,\u201d according to InfluenceWatch. <\/p>\n<p>The Soros family has donated to his cause, as has the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/stephen-m-silberstein-foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation<\/a>, a funding spring for \u201cnearly every <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-include-money-for-abortion-providers-in-1-9-trillion-covid-aid-package\/\" title=\"Dems Include Money for Abortion Providers in .9 Trillion COVID Aid Package\">major progressive policy<\/a> and advocacy group in the U.S.,\u201d according to Inside Philanthropy. Koza has also written checks to Republicans, as he chases allies in his quest to undo the checks and balances of the centuries-old Electoral College system. <\/p>\n<p>Koza\u2019s latest game, however, draws from and depends on the anger of the electorate and a general ignorance of the U.S. Constitution, critics of the NPV say.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Constitutional Questions<\/h2>\n<p>The movement to upend the Electoral College isn\u2019t a 21st-century phenomenon. Battles over the way Americans elect their president have been going on since George Washington. Hundreds of proposals have been introduced in Congress \u201cto reform or eliminate the Electoral College,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/electoral-college\/history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> the National Archives. A Pew Research Center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2023\/09\/25\/majority-of-americans-continue-to-favor-moving-away-from-electoral-college\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll <\/a>in September says 65 percent of respondents supported canning the Electoral College for a national popular vote. <\/p>\n<p>Its advocates like to say the compact doesn\u2019t get rid of the Electoral College, it improves it. The National Popular Vote \u201ccleverly takes advantage of the Constitution\u2019s grant of authority to state legislatures to determine how to allocate their electoral votes,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/ocpathink.org\/save-our-states\/what-is-national-popular-vote\">writes <\/a>Trent England, a distinguished fellow at the <a href=\"https:\/\/ocpathink.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, <\/a>which has tracked the progress of the populist drive to dilute the Electoral College system. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor over a century, Electoral College opponents focused on amending the Constitution. National Popular Vote is a clever strategy and, at least on its surface, elegantly simple. Yet the benefits of the current Electoral College system have nothing to do with surface appeal. In fact, the debate over National Popular Vote exposes just how little most Americans (and many law professors and even politicians) understand the incentives created by the Electoral College that moderate and strengthen our political system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While proponents of the National Popular Vote insist it doesn\u2019t infringe on the Constitution, constitutional law experts beg to differ. It would seem to infringe on the <a href=\"https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/LSB\/LSB10807#:~:text=The%20Compact%20Clause%20(Article%201,Compact%20Clause%20serves%20multiple%20functions.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Compact Clause<\/a> that prohibits states, \u201cwithout the Consent of Congress,\u201d from entering into \u201cany Agreement or Compact with another State.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The NPV runs into many more constitutional quandaries, not the least of which is the 14th Amendment. Nullifying the votes of large swaths of voters isn\u2019t something the Constitution takes lightly. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can hardly be imagined that taking away a voter\u2019s right to have a vote counted for the person he or she prefers for president is not abridging that person\u2019s privileges and immunities under the 14th Amendment and the U.S. Constitution,\u201d Peter J. Wallison, who served as White House counsel in the Reagan administration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2023\/06\/the-national-popular-vote-idea-is-unconstitutional-and-should-be-abandoned\/?bypass_key=NkRocE9pUEpFV25waE1KVU91SkZuUT09OjpPVlJQVUcxeU4zZE9Vemt5YXpsU09XeFRjell4UVQwOQ%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> last year in National Review. The electoral problems would also be a nightmare, Wallison contends, with the temptation to cheat in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-ten-craziest-claims-from-hulus-1619-project-series\/\" title=\"The Ten Craziest Claims From Hulu's \"1619 Project\" Series\">heavily populated states<\/a> all the more appealing. <\/p>\n<p>In the main, the compact robs smaller states of the protections so long afforded under the Electoral College, giving them a voice in national politics and a defense against the tyranny of the big. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Democrats for the Electoral College<\/h2>\n<p>While leftists have rallied around the National Popular Vote, some Democrats are strongly opposed to the compact. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reason it\u2019s popular is because it sounds good. People aren\u2019t aware of the details,\u201d said Jasper Hendricks, of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dems4ec.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Democrats for the Electoral College.<\/a> He said he \u201cserved proudly\u201d as a presidential elector for Hillary Clinton in 2016 in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>In testifying against the Maine bill, Hendricks noted that the compact seeks to bypass the constitutional amendment process, threatening democracy \u201cby fostering instability and eroding trust in our political system.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Maine, this would mean overlooking your statewide and congressional district results and causing the interests of Maine\u2019s people to be ignored by presidential candidates,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.maine.gov\/legis\/bills\/getTestimonyDoc.asp?id=179724\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>But the movement to transform the state-by-state Electoral College system into the consolidated power of just a few election officials marches on. Compact proponents have their eyes fixed on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michiganpublic.org\/politics-government\/2023-06-06\/bill-to-join-national-popular-vote-pact-sent-to-michigan-house-floor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Michigan,<\/a> a state with a Democrat \u201ctrifecta\u201d in government. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4091106-national-popular-vote-scheme-would-relegate-michigan-to-irrelevance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Compact opponents warn<\/a> that Michigan risks trading its present influence as a swing state for a middling position, at best, in the national popularity contest. Nevada lawmakers are trying to bring a ballot issue on the NPVIC to voters, and compact advocates are heavily courting <a href=\"https:\/\/penncapital-star.com\/commentary\/pa-house-bill-would-allow-state-to-join-national-popular-vote-compact-friday-morning-coffee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pennsylvania <\/a>and other swing states. <\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t look for changes to the Electoral College system anytime soon \u2014 certainly not in this presidential election cycle. And the game maker\u2019s dream ultimately may just be an exercise in futility. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccordingly \u2014 aside from the confusion the concept will initially produce \u2014 the Left is wasting its time and money pushing the NPV idea. Maybe that\u2019s the only good thing about it,\u201d Wallison wrote. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-771b0d48b514cf31ab7c7987e7a505dc fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-771b0d48b514cf31ab7c7987e7a505dc\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maine Governor Janet Mills contributed to reinforcing the rule of the majority by refraining from action. The two-term Democrat avoided making a decision on a contentious bill aligning Maine with the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, allowing it to become law by default. The bill was approved by the state House of Representatives earlier this month<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2223533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Idiotvoters-scaled.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2223532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Idiotvoters-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2223532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2223533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2223532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2223532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2223532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}