Everyone's vote should be equal when electing the president, no matter where they live. FairVote is a leader in the campaign to establish a national popular vote for president, and recommends that political parties establish a schedule and rules to promote all states having a meaningful vote in nomination contests.


Big Wins Continue for National Popular Vote
NPV Legislation Passes Passes House in OR and CO and Senate in WA

On March, 13, the Oregon House and Washington State Senate passed National Popular Vote (NPV) legislation, making it the 24th state house to pass the legislation. With bipartisan support, the Oregon housed passed the bill 39-19, including 8 Republicans.

These milestones ride in the wake of other recent success in New Mexico, where the State House also voted to pass NPV legislation. NPV is a national effort to enact an interstate compact ensuring that the winner of the popular vote wins the presidency. The compact will go into effect once states totaling 270 electoral votes enact the legislation.

The NPV bill has been introduced in 47 states with a total of 1,246 state legislators endorsing the legislation. Representing nearly a fifth of the necessary electoral votes to implement NPV, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey have already passed the legislation. Recent polls indicate more than 70% of voters support NPV in a full range of states.

[FairVote's Case for NPV]
[National Popular Vote]
[Story in The Oregonian]
March 17 Update! [Colorado House 25th Chamber to Pass NPV]


Advances Mark National Popular Vote Anniversary
NM House Passes NPV Legislation
NPVOn February 20, the New Mexico house passed National Popular Vote (NPV) legislation, making it the 23rd state legislative chamber to pass the bill in its short three-year history. The anniversary marks a milestone for NPV, which is on track to reform the Electoral College by 2012. NPV is a national effort to enact an interstate compact ensuring that the winner of the popular vote wins the presidency. The compact will go into effect once states totaling 270 electoral votes enact the legislation.

The NPV bill has been introduced in 49 states and has the support of more than 1,240 state legislators who have sponsored or voted for the legislation. Representing nearly a fifth of the necessary electoral votes to implement NPV, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey have already passed the legislation. Recent polls indicate more than 70% of voters support NPV in a full range of states.
 
LINKS

[FairVote's resources on the case for reform]
[National Popular Vote]
[Rob Richie's blog on New Mexico win]
[Sarasota Herald Tribune Jan. 2009 editorial backing NPV]



FairVote's new report: 98% of attention to 15 states
As the Electoral College prepares to convene on December 15, FairVote has released a powerful new report on where the major party presidential campaigns devoted time and resources.  More than half of all resources were devoted to four states, and more than 98% devoted to only 15 states, leaving nearly two-thirds of the country as effective spectators to the election -- and less likely to vote. But with the National Popular Vote plan making headway in the states, 2012 promises elections where all Americans can hold their president accountable.

Press release: 2008's Shrinking Battlegrounds
FairVote's Presidential Campaign Tracker
2008 Presidential ad spending
Anti-Electoral College piece in Philadelphia Inquirer
National Popular Vote


FairVote's Campaign Tracker attracts media attention
In 2008 the campaigns and the media are heavily focused on the presidential battlegrounds – to the point where 26 states have not had a single public event by one of the major party presidential or vice-presidential nominees since the Republican convention. Boosted by the work of David Schnicke and Laura Kirshner, FairVote’s new “campaign trackers” for presidential campaign visits and advertisement spending has garnered significant media attention.

In October 2008 the NAACP board also gave its final endorsement to the National Popular Vote legislation, thanks to the dedication of FairVote North Carolina’s Torrey Dixon.

FairVote’s 2008 Campaign Tracker
2008 Presidential Ad Spending
NAACP Resolution to support National Popular Vote
National Popular Vote
Journal and Courier report on FairVote’s Campaign Tracker
Press Release: October 17th update


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Fuzzy Math Report

Presidential Elections Inequality Report
August 10th 2009
Commentary: A cure for the political nomination process
Cleveland Plain Dealer

FairVote's Rob Richie and Paul Fidalgo offer a way to give everyone a say in presidential nominations while retaining the valuable state-by-state evaluation process. This piece also ran in McClatchy's newswire.

July 13th 2009
Albatross of U.S. democracy
Indianapolis Star

FairVote research is cited in support of the National Popular Vote plan in Indiana, because "every vote cast for president should be equally important and equally coveted, whether it originates in California, Connecticut or Crawfordsville."

July 9th 2009
Winner-take-all can elect a second-place president
San Diego Union-Tribune

The founder of National Popular Vote lays out the shortcomings and injustices of the Electoral College system, and shows why the National Popular Vote plan is the right solution.

May 17th 2009
Why states should adopt the National Popular Vote plan for president
San Diego Union-Tribune

FairVote's Rob Richie writes that the Electoral College deepens political inequality, and explains why the National Popular Vote plan is our best opportunity to ensure that every vote for president is equally valued.

May 14th 2009
Let's Make Every Vote Count
The Nation

Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of the Nation magazine, highlights FairVote's research in an important piece on the "broad support" growing in the states for the National Popular Vote plan to elect the president.