Myth-busting the National Popular Vote
The National Popular Vote is a nonpartisan movement dedicated to passing legislation which, when effective, will guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and D.C. combined, rather than state by state as today. The National Popular Vote bill would ensure that every vote will be equal throughout the U.S., regardless of where you live, and that every vote, in every state, will matter in every presidential election.
The National Popular Vote law does not require a constitutional amendment. It has been signed into law by governors of both parties in 15 states and the District of Columbia, representing 196 or 73% of the votes necessary to implement this legislation. When states representing 270 electoral votes (the number needed to elect the President) have passed the law, it will go into effect. The goal of LWVUS and LWVFL is to pass this law by 2024.
A number of myths and misconceptions have grown up around the National Popular Vote, who supports it, what effect it would have on small states and big cities, how it would affect the electoral college, to name just a few. Over the next months, we will present and refute many of these myths.
Today we tackle one of the most persistent myths, that only liberals and Democrats support it, and that conservatives and Republicans oppose it. This misconception is refuted by the conservatives themselves, as can be seen from many leading conservatives who have formed “Conservatives for Yes on National Popular Vote” (see www.conservativesforyesonnationalpopularvote.com).
A recent opinion piece in the Washington Post discusses why people like Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Saul Anuzis, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, and Patrick Rosenstiel, the chief executive of a conservative political strategy firm, support the National Popular Vote. Take a look at the article, Meet the Republicans who want to end the electoral college to get educated in the best tradition of the League of Women Voters.
Stay tuned for more myth-busting in future issues of the Voter. If you can’t wait or want more detail, see https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/answering-myths.