A FUNNY thing happens when elections really matter: Voters go to the
polls in droves. Such was the case during the long battle between Barack
Obama and Hillary Clinton, which produced record turnout in Democratic
contests from coast to coast.
The dynamic will change in November, when perhaps a dozen states will be battlegrounds in the presidential race. And that's why the state Legislature should pass the National Popular Vote bill, which commits a state to throwing its electoral votes to whoever gets the most votes nationwide. While Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi both support the bill, it may not pass before the end of the legislative session next month.
The measure would only take effect if adopted by states representing a majority of the Electoral College, and proponents aren't likely to reach that threshold this year. In the future, though, the plan would eliminate the most obvious flaw in the current system: that the candidate with the most votes can still lose, as Al Gore did in 2000. A major side benefit is that the plan would widen future presidential races to all 50 states. While election turnout depends heavily on a state's laws, the dearth of campaigning in sure states has its consequences. Four years ago, turnout among voting-age adults was lowest in California and Hawaii, where John Kerry won easily. Turnout was highest in Minnesota, where Kerry won with only 51 percent, and Wisconsin, where George W. Bush barely squeaked past 50 percent.
Under the National Popular Vote plan, a vote in deep-blue Massachusetts or deep-red Utah would count as much as a vote in Michigan or Ohio. Candidates would feel less obliged to make policy zigzags to appease swing-state special interests. Anti-Castro hardliners in Florida and steel interests in Pennsylvania might not enjoy the same outsized influence. But for voters, the benefits would be enormous.
The dynamic will change in November, when perhaps a dozen states will be battlegrounds in the presidential race. And that's why the state Legislature should pass the National Popular Vote bill, which commits a state to throwing its electoral votes to whoever gets the most votes nationwide. While Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi both support the bill, it may not pass before the end of the legislative session next month.
The measure would only take effect if adopted by states representing a majority of the Electoral College, and proponents aren't likely to reach that threshold this year. In the future, though, the plan would eliminate the most obvious flaw in the current system: that the candidate with the most votes can still lose, as Al Gore did in 2000. A major side benefit is that the plan would widen future presidential races to all 50 states. While election turnout depends heavily on a state's laws, the dearth of campaigning in sure states has its consequences. Four years ago, turnout among voting-age adults was lowest in California and Hawaii, where John Kerry won easily. Turnout was highest in Minnesota, where Kerry won with only 51 percent, and Wisconsin, where George W. Bush barely squeaked past 50 percent.
Under the National Popular Vote plan, a vote in deep-blue Massachusetts or deep-red Utah would count as much as a vote in Michigan or Ohio. Candidates would feel less obliged to make policy zigzags to appease swing-state special interests. Anti-Castro hardliners in Florida and steel interests in Pennsylvania might not enjoy the same outsized influence. But for voters, the benefits would be enormous.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.