In
August 2010, Governor Deval Patrick signed legislation making Massachusetts the
sixth state to sign the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The compact
is designed such that once the combined electoral votes of the signatory states
reaches 270, those states pledge their electors to the winner of the national
popular vote. As of today, 10 states plus the District of Columbia with a
combined 165 electoral votes have passed legislation supporting the compact.
In 2000,
the Supreme Court awarded the presidency to George W. Bush over Al Gore,
halting a recount in Florida that had Bush leading by a 537-vote margin. That
marked the fourth election in US history in which the eventual winner failed to
win the popular vote. Nationwide, Gore received 543,895 more votes than Bush.
In 2004,
fewer than 60,000 voters in Ohio could have carried that state for John Kerry
over George W. Bush, sending Kerry to the White House despite losing the
national popular vote. If the compact was in force, electors from Massachusetts
would have voted for the winner of the nationwide popular vote, George W. Bush,
despite 62 percent of the Massachusetts vote supporting Kerry.
The
compact guarantees a legal challenge. The Constitution prohibits agreements
among states without the consent of Congress. A losing candidate would appeal,
initiating another election result decided by a Supreme Court majority.
Are
these the outcomes Massachusetts citizens want?
The
intent of the Founding Founders in constructing the electoral framework was to
insure that urban voters in a few states would not control presidential
elections.
Although
I would not support it, I believe citizens who seek to elect the president by
popular vote should go the route of seeking a constitutional amendment to do
away with the Electoral College. Should they instead effect the interstate
compact, we would have a hybrid system in which the compact states’ votes would
be based entirely on the countrywide popular vote while non-compact states
would vote as they do today.
I
believe the presidential votes of our state should reflect the votes of our
citizens. I support repeal of the compact legislation.
