This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Dear Editor,
Senate Bill 19-042 would enter Colorado into the National Popular Vote
Interstate Compact (NPV) to elect the president by popular vote. States
that enact this Compact will award all their electors to the presidential
candidate who receives the most popular votes in the fifty states and the
District of Columbia.
The League of Women Voters supports the NPV Compact as an effective means
of strengthening our democratic election process. NPV enables popular votes to
determine the winner in Presidential elections, without changing the
Constitution. The Compact only takes effect when enacted, in identical
form, by enough states to have a majority (270) of the electoral votes.
The U.S. Constitution gives states exclusive power to allocate their
electoral votes. It says nothing about allocating electoral votes in a
winner-take-all system, which evolved in the 1800s. The winner-take-all
system has resulted in campaigns focused only on the “swing states”, and
the system leaves out the vast majority of voters in so-called “flyover
states”. Also, voters in reliably blue or red states may have less
incentive to vote.
In contrast, the NPV Compact would help ensure that every vote is equally
important. A vote cast in a big city would be no more or less valuable than
in a rural area. Republicans in the most populous states would now have
their votes counted, as would Democrats in less-populous states.
SB 19-042 has passed in the Senate and now moves to the Colorado House for
consideration. NPV truly is a non-partisan issue, and the League encourages
people from all political parties to support Colorado joining the NPV
Interstate Compact.
For more information on NPV and other election issues, visit lwvbc.org.
Sincerely,
Peggy Leech, President
League of Women Voters of Boulder County