Tell Your Virginia Legislators to Support a National Popular Vote for President

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will guarantee that the President is the candidate who wins the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Please use our convenient email system to ask Virginia state legislators to co-sponsor and vote for the National Popular Vote bill in the upcoming session of the legislature.

SHORTCOMINGS OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM

• Five of our 47 Presidents came into office without winning the most popular votes nationwide.
• Every vote is not equal under the current system.
• The current winner-take-all system regularly enables a few thousand votes in seven or so states to decide the Presidency—leaving Virginia on the sidelines.

According to a recent Pew poll, 63% say that the winner of the popular vote nationwide should win the presidency. This includes 80% of Democrats, 63% of moderate or liberal Republicans, and 46% of all Republicans. Details



HOW NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE WORKS

The current winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes is not in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution says:

“Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors….”

The Constitution gives the states exclusive control over the choice of method of awarding their electoral votes. It does not encourage, discourage, require, or prohibit the use of any particular way of awarding a state's electoral votes.

The National Popular Vote law will take effect when approved by states with a majority of the electoral votes (270 of 538). Then, the presidential candidate winning the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC will get all the electoral votes from all of the enacting states. That is, the candidate winning the most popular votes nationwide will be guaranteed enough votes in the Electoral College to become President.

Under the National Popular Vote law, no voter will have their vote cancelled out because their choice differed from majority sentiment in their state. Instead, every voter’s vote will be added directly into the national count for the candidate of their choice. This will ensure that every voter, in every state, will be politically relevant in every presidential election—regardless of where they live. National Popular Vote home page

STATUS OF NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia (with 209 electoral votes) have already enacted the National Popular Vote Compact into law. This includes 5 small states (Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont), 9 medium-sized states (Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington), 3 big states (California, Illinois, New York), and the District of Columbia.

The National Popular Vote Compact will take effect when passed by states with an additional 61 electoral votes. Virginia would provide 13 of the needed 61 electoral votes.

Please write your Virginia legislators asking them to pass the National Popular Vote Compact.

And, please consider writing a letter-to-the-editor.