Maine has become the 18th jurisdiction in the United States to pass the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which, if enacted, would end the Electoral College’s influence in the selection process for the office of president.
The bill, which was passed by the Democratic-controlled state legislature, made it to Gov. Janet Mills’s (D) desk last week. Mills opted not to sign the bill but also chose not to veto it, allowing it to pass into law.
Mills said she understood both sides of the argument when it came to the compact, simultaneously claiming that such a measure would diminish Maine’s influence in presidential elections (a talking point against ending the Electoral College that has been widely debunked) while also agreeing that the possibility of a future presidential election being decided that disregards voters’ preferences would be unfair.
“Absent a ranked choice voting circumstance, it seems to me that the person who wins the most votes should become the president,” Mills said in a statement justifying her decision.
Such elections have happened twice in the 21st century alone — in 2000, despite Democrat Al Gore winning more votes, Republican George W. Bush won the presidency, and in 2016, Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, despite losing the popular vote by millions of ballots. Overall, the Electoral College has failed five times in U.S. history to select the presidential candidate whom most voters preferred.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact isn’t enforced yet, as it can only be enacted after enough states sign on, equaling a majority of the Electoral College (270 votes). With Maine’s inclusion in the compact, 17 states plus Washington D.C. have signed on, amounting to 209 Electoral College votes.
Ordinarily, any change to how the president is selected would require passing an amendment to the Constitution — a process that could take many years, and would likely fail in the current political climate. However, the compact sidesteps this problem by using provisions in the Constitution to enact a popular vote.
Article II of the Constitution states that, for the purposes of selecting a president, “each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.” If the states themselves decide to assign electors based on who wins the national popular vote, the process is wholly legal.
Polling shows that most Americans want a popular vote system to replace the Electoral College. A Pew Research survey from last fall, for example, found that 65 percent of Americans want to change the current system of selecting the president so that the person receiving the most votes from voters wins, versus just 33 percent who said they wanted to keep the current system intact.
After Maine passed the compact into law, National Popular Vote chair John Koza released a statement applauding the state’s action.
“Maine joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact moves us one step closer to a system where the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes always wins the presidency and every voter in every state is politically relevant in every presidential election,” Koza said in a press release.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $104,000 in one-time donations and to add 1340 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy