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The Maine House of Representatives will vote soon on whether to withdraw from the National Popular Vote interstate compact (NPV). The bill is LD 252. The state joined NPV last year, but that bill only passed the House because several members were absent. It took effect without the Governor’s signature.

Now a coalition of Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature is working to get Maine out of the compact.

The coalition opposing NPV brings together diverse perspectives, including

• Electoral College opponents who see serious flaws in the NPV plan;
• Electoral College supporters who believe a state-based election is best; and
• Defenders of Maine’s unique voice and election process.

The NPV compact is a particularly flawed reform proposal. It assumes that a group of states can force other states to go along with an untried process in the midst of a presidential election. The compact has no provisions for recounts or challenges. It is silent on what to do if states in the compact disagree, or what happens if states outside of the compact act to prevent it from functioning. It conflicts with ranked-choice voting. And it has no majority or minimum plurality requirement to win.

NPV lobbyists also ignore the benefits of a state-based election system that gives Maine voters a distinct voice in presidential politics. To have any chance of winning the presidency, a candidate (and thus the political parties) must have support across many states. This forces our political coalitions to be broad, diverse, and national. A direct national election would encourage more candidates and narrower, regional coalitions.

In fact, NPV lobbyists have admitted that they want to diminish Maine’s voice. Hopefully the House, and then the Senate, will act to get the state out of NPV and protect Maine voters.