An end-run around the Electoral College

Article author: 
Peter Skurkiss
Article publisher: 
American Thinker
Article date: 
7 March 2019
Article category: 
Our American Future
Medium
Article Body: 
The National Popular Vote (NPV) is an interstate initiative designed to give the presidency to the candidate who wins the most popular votes nationally. It is a workaround of the Electoral College as commonly understood in the Constitution.
 
In practice, the NPV is an agreement among states for each of them to award their respective electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote. This week Colorado will become the 12th state to sign on to this compact. Taken together, these states (plus the District of Columbia) have 181 electoral votes. 
 
The NPV agreement would not go into effect, however, until the participating states hold a majority of the electoral votes. That would be 270, so currently the initiative is 90 electoral votes shy of its objective. Once this threshold is reached, it would then guarantee with winner of the national vote the White House. Under such a system, neither George W. Bush (2000) nor Donald Trump (2016) would have become president. Al Gore and Hillary Clinton would.  
 
Eleven states in this agreement are solidly Democrat with the 12th, Colorado, trending that way. Of the remaining states, NPV is grinding its way through the various legislatures to one degree or another, always under Democrat sponsorship. Although NPV is not in the headlines, the push for it is relentless...
 
The legality of NPV is nebulous. The Constitution defines the Electoral College but does not spell out how each state chooses to award its votes. Quite frankly, strong arguments can be made on either side as to its constitutionality. The burden of proof rests with those pushing NPV. In the end, it will be up to the Supreme Court to decide. What is clear, however, is that should NPV prevail, the structure of the American republic as a form of government will be further weaken. Yes, the country will technically have more democracy, but it won't be better for it. From my perspective, this is the opposite direction America should be going in.
 
Related
 
 
 
2016 U.S. Presidential Electoral votes by county:
 
 

2016 basic electoral map by county

 

 

The importance of the Electoral College, by Fred Elbel, CAIRCO

The Electoral College is still right for America, by Rob Natelson, Complete Colorado, January 29, 2019.

Colorado Moves To Bypass Electoral College: Will Assign Electoral Votes To Popular Vote Winner, by Marc Slavo, Freedom Outpost, February 28, 2019.

Colorado Gov. Polis signs national popular vote bill into law, March 16, 2019.