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.
With the 2024 presidential election around the corner, creating a 2020 rematch between Biden and Trump, Americans must brace themselves because the Electoral College could yet again send a president to the White House who was not popularly elected by the people.
The elections in 2000, 2016, and even 2020 made it 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 races in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are perfect examples. In 2020, both states were targeted by Donald Trump and his cronies as part of his fake electors scheme. Both Courts played critical roles in protecting the vote and keeping Donald Trump from stealing the presidency—and in Wisconsin, the Court’s decision came down to 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, 17 states and Washington, D.C. have passed NPV, which is 209 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.