25 of Michigan's 38 state Senators are sponsoring the National Popular Vote bill, including 15 Republicans and 10 Democrats.    
The  National Popular Vote  bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

3 things to do:
 
Vermont state Senator Christopher Pearson testifies at Michigan House hearing on National Popular Vote.


BACKGROUND
Five out of our 45 Presidents have come into office without receiving the most popular votes nationwide.  State winner-take-all laws are the reason why a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the national popular vote.  Under these state laws, all of a state's electoral votes are awarded  to the candidate receiving the most popular votes in each separate state. 


A national popular vote for President is an achievable goal that can be in place in time for the 2020 election. The bill has already been enacted into law in 12 states possessing 172 electoral votes (CA, CT, DC, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, RI, VT, WA).  It will take effect when enacted by additional states having 98 electoral votes. The bill has previously passed one chamber in 11 states with 89 electoral votes (AR, AZ, CO, DE, ME, MI, NC, NM, NV, OK, OR). A total of 3,155 state legislators have endorsed it.  

It does not take an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to change state  winner-take-all laws.  State winner-take-all laws were enacted by state legislatures using their authority under Article II of the U.S. Constitution (and may be changed in the same way): 
"Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors...."

The winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes was used by only three states in the nation's first presidential election in 1789 (and repealed by all three by 1800). It was never debated at the Constitutional Convention, and never mentioned in the Federalist Papers. It did not become predominant until 1880 -- almost a century after the U.S. Constitution was written.

Under the National Popular Vote bill, the national popular vote winner will receive all the electoral votes from the enacting states. The bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes -- enough to elect a President (270 of 538).   Then, when the Electoral College meets in mid-December, the national popular vote winner will become President because the enacting states will represent at least 270 electoral votes. Thus, the Electoral College will represent the will of the voters in all 50 states (and DC). 

Here are some other things you might do to help  make sure that the President elected in 2020 is the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC. 
  • Please share the National Popular Vote home page (www.NationalPopularVote.com) with your friends on Facebook or other social networks.  Please ask your friends to tell their state legislators to support the National Popular Vote bill in their state using our convenient email system.  
  • Visit your state legislators at their local office or state capitol office to emphasize your support. Or, phone them. You can look up their office address, phone, and web address by entering your zip code and address at www.NationalPopularVote.com/write and then clicking on "contact info for my legislators and officials." 
  • Learn more about National Popular Vote from short videos. 
  • Learn more about National Popular Vote from chapter 9 of our book  Every Vote Equal: A State-Based Plan for Electing the President by National Popular Vote .  The entire book is free to read or download . 
  • Contribute to National Popular Vote  The National Popular Vote organization employs lobbyists in numerous states as well as its own traveling representatives to help pass the bill. 
Thank you. 

Dr. John R. Koza, Chair
National Popular Vote