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Defending the power of our states since 2009
Two bills aimed at pushing Michigan into the National Popular Vote interstate compact (NPV) were introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives earlier this month. HB 6213 would commit the state’s electoral votes to the compact, while HB 6214 would amend Michigan’s election laws to allow said change.
If these bills pass both chambers and are signed into law, they will give Michigan’s 15 electoral votes to the “national popular vote” winner, even if the majority of Michiganders voted for a different candidate. The NPV compact takes effect once participating states account for 270 electoral votes. That total is already at 222 after Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed the measure into law earlier this year.
NPV advocates often complain about the attention that swing states receive during presidential election cycles, claiming that it’s unfair to other states. But Michigan is a major target for presidential campaigns, not by some luck of the draw, but because its voters have shown a willingness to support presidential candidates from both major parties. The state voted for the Republican candidate in 2024, the Democratic candidate in 2020, the Republican candidate in 2016, and the Democratic candidate in 2012. Michigan has proven itself to be a true battleground state and political thermometer for the nation.
The NPV lobby has targeted Michigan for a long time. And, believe it or not, there was also a time when some Republicans in the legislature supported the compact and co-sponsored NPV legislation. But luckily for Michigan, those days are long gone.
During the last major push for Michigan to join the compact in 2023, Republicans in the legislature came out in full force against the bill. House Republicans like current Speaker Matt Hall, Rep. Rachelle Smit, and Rep. Joseph Fox released statements denouncing the compact and chastising the bill’s sponsors. They stressed the fact that the compact would take control of the state’s electoral votes away from Michiganders and weaken Michigan’s influence. Multiple Democrats in the legislature also opposed the 2023 bill, helping to prevent its passage.
For years, NPV has done everything in its power to push the legislature into committing Michigan’s electoral votes to the “national popular vote” winner, and for years, the legislature has resisted. Let’s hope lawmakers keep that same resolve and once again reject this unconstitutional scheme.