LD 1578 — An Act to Adopt an Interstate Compact to Elect the President of the United States by National Popular Vote — would have Maine join an interstate agreement to allocate its Electoral College votes to the winner of the popular vote in presidential elections. This will guarantee that the President is the candidate who wins the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read on to learn more about the National Popular Vote and what it would mean for Maine:

SHORTCOMINGS OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM:

Five of our 46 Presidents came into office without winning the most popular votes nationwide – including in two of the last six presidential elections.
The current state-by-state, winner-take-all system regularly enables a few thousand votes in a small number of states to decide the Presidency – thereby fueling post-election controversies and threatening the country’s stability.
The current system could easily result in the U.S. House of Representatives choosing the President — which would be at odds with our democracy.
Find more details here.

WITH NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE:

Every vote in every state in every presidential election will be equal. No battleground states, no spectator states.
The candidate with the most votes across all 50 states and DC will win. No 2nd place winners.
Candidates will be motivated to seek voter support in all 50 states and DC. No more swing states or spectator states.
Voter participation will increase because voters will know their vote matters.
Apply the one-person-one-vote principle to presidential elections — meaning, each person’s vote would count equally as one vote toward a presidential candidate.

Thank you for taking action,

Beth

P.S. This bill is a priority of Mainers for Modern Elections; to learn more, you can read the coalition member League of Women Voters of Maine's fact sheet here.