Why a national popular vote for President is needed
The current system of electing the President was adopted neither by the framers nor by the Constitution. State winner-take-all laws. passed and repealed at will by individual state legislatures. are the source of nearly every problem with how we elect Presidents today.
A close look at the numbers makes the case:
- Five of 47 Presidents have entered office without winning the nationwide popular vote.
- Recent elections have turned on tiny shifts in a handful of states: ~119,000 votes in 2004, ~43,000 votes in 2020, and ~240,000 votes in 2024.
- In 2000, just 537 popular votes in one state decided the national outcome.
- Across the last seven elections, an average of only ~280,000 votes across the contested states decided the winner. while the average national popular vote margin was 4,327,902 votes.
Voter participation tells the same story: turnout is, on average, 11% higher in closely divided battleground states than elsewhere. because voters there know their ballot will actually count.
How the National Popular Vote works
The Constitution does not specify how states must choose their electors. Article II gives each state legislature exclusive control:
"Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors…"
U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Clause 2
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among states to award all of their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the popular vote in all 50 states and DC. The compact takes effect only when enough states. totaling at least 270 of 538 electoral votes. have enacted it. From that moment on, the candidate the country chooses is the candidate who wins.
What changes and what doesn't.
The Electoral College stays exactly as it is. What changes is how the participating states cast their electoral votes. No constitutional amendment is required, no voter is silenced, and no state surrenders its sovereignty.
Critically: "No voter's vote will be cancelled at the state level. Every voter's vote will be added directly. without distortion. into the national count."
Current status
The compact has been enacted in 19 jurisdictions totaling 222 electoral votes. leaving 48 to go.
Enacted (19 jurisdictions, 222 EV)
- Six small jurisdictions: Delaware · Hawaii · Maine · Rhode Island · Vermont · DC
- Ten medium-sized states: Colorado · Connecticut · Maryland · Massachusetts · Minnesota · New Jersey · New Mexico · Oregon · Virginia · Washington
- Three large states: California · Illinois · New York
Passed at least one chamber (6 states, 61 EV)
Arkansas · Arizona · Michigan · North Carolina · Nevada · Oklahoma
The bill has cleared 44 legislative chambers across 24 states, and has been sponsored or supported by over 3,900 state legislators.
See full state-by-state status →
Where campaigns actually happen
In 2016, 94% of all 399 general-election campaign events occurred in just 12 states. The pattern is even more concentrated in 2024: 94% in just seven. Below is the 2016 data. a snapshot of how dramatically winner-take-all distorts the campaign:
| Battleground state | Events | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 71 | 29 |
| North Carolina | 55 | 15 |
| Pennsylvania | 54 | 20 |
| Ohio | 48 | 18 |
| Virginia | 23 | 13 |
| Michigan | 22 | 16 |
| New Hampshire | 21 | 4 |
| Iowa | 21 | 6 |
| Nevada | 17 | 6 |
| Colorado | 19 | 9 |
| Arizona | 15 | 11 |
| Wisconsin | 9 | 10 |
| 12-state total | 375 | 157 |
The remaining 39 states received just 24 events combined. about 6% of campaign activity.
Three foundational principles
- The popular vote winner should become President. No candidate should win by losing.
- One person, one vote. A vote in Wyoming should weigh the same as a vote in Wisconsin.
- Candidates should have a reason to campaign in all 50 states. Not five. Not seven. All of them.
Resources
Want to go deeper?
- Read the full text of the compact with article-by-article explanation.
- Understand the Electoral College as it currently operates.
- Answers to common myths. videos and FAQs covering 45 topics.
- Download Every Vote Equal. the 1,000-page book, free.
Take a five-minute action.
Email your state legislator and tell them to support the compact in your state.
Email your legislator →