Fixing the Electoral College with the National Popular Vote

Since 2000, two out of four U.S. presidents, including Donald Trump, received fewer votes than their opponents but still won the White House. Why? Because the Electoral College gives the presidency to the candidate who wins the most electoral votes, and not the candidate who receives the most votes overall. 

We came dangerously close to history repeating itself in 2020. While Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by over six million votes nationally, the election was decided by razor-thin margins in a few key battleground states like Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia. 

Just like in 2000 and 2016, the 2020 election made clear how antiquated and undemocratic the Electoral College system is, effectively disenfranchising millions of Americans who live in solidly red or blue states in favor of those who live in battleground states. 

This leaves us vulnerable to extremist attacks and efforts to game the Electoral College system, like Trump’s fake elector scheme, giving far too much power to battleground states to completely derail our democracy. 

The high stakes of the recent State Supreme Court race in Wisconsin is a perfect example. In 2020, Wisconsin was specifically targeted by Donald Trump and his cronies. The Wisconsin State Supreme Supreme Court rejected Trump’s efforts to invalidate the votes of hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites by a single vote. 

The fact that a single state, and a single seat, could upend our entire democracy shows just how fragile our system is.

But we can change this system. By adopting the National Popular Vote (NPV) Interstate Compact, states can ensure that the candidate who wins the most votes becomes president every time, and insulate our democracy from efforts to game the electoral college system.

The NPV Interstate Compact is an agreement between states to pledge their Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes nationwide, rather than the winner of just their own state. Once enough states have passed NPV laws to total 270 electoral votes, we can finally elect our presidents by popular vote. Already, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have passed NPV, which is 195 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed for NPV to take effect.

Ready to get started? Spread the word about NPV with your friends and family.