Longmont Times-Call, February 2, 2019
and
Boulder Sunday Camera, February 3, 2019
Open Forum
Popular vote
Ensure every vote is equally important
Senate Bill 19-042 would enter Colorado into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 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 50 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.
PEGGY LEECH, PRESIDENT
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF BOULDER COUNTY
Louisville