House Passes Bill to Join National Popular Vote Compact
Posted in: Press Releases, Updates on 06/03/2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2010, 617-722-2692
Would Join Five Other States in Supporting Election of U.S. President through Popular Vote
State Representative Cory Atkins (D-Concord) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation to join an interstate compact that would ensure that the candidate who wins the national popular vote is elected President of the United States.
“In every presidential election, people tell us that Massachusetts doesn’t count,” said Atkins. “The candidates and the media spend all their time in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other so-called swing states. This bill will change that. If enough other states join us, then a vote for president in Massachusetts will count just as much as a vote for president in any other state.”
Under this legislation, Massachusetts would appropriate all of its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote regardless of which candidate garners the most votes in Massachusetts.
There are a total of 538 electoral votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The National Popular Vote compact would only take effect when the combined electoral votes of the participating states reach 270 – the majority of electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
There are currently five states that have joined the National Popular Vote compact by enacting this legislation: Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington. These states carry 61 electoral votes. This legislation would add Massachusetts’ 12 electoral votes to the total, giving the compact 27 percent of the electoral votes needed to take effect.
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1. mvymvy (06/04/2010)A survey of 800 Massachusetts voters conducted on May 23–24, 2010 showed 72% overall support for the idea that the President of the United States should be the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states.
Voters were asked
“How do you think we should elect the President: Should it be the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states, or the current electoral college system?”
By political affiliation, support for a national popular vote was 86% among Democrats, 54% among Republicans, and 68% among others. By gender, support was 85% among women and 60% among men. By age, support was 85% among 18-29 year olds, 75% among 30-45 year olds, 69% among 46-65 year olds, and 72% for those older than 65.
http://nationalpopularvote.com/pages/polls.php#MA_2010MAY