June 2, 2010                                                                                 

House Passes Bill to Join National Popular Vote Compact

Would Join Five Other States in Supporting Election of U.S. President through Popular Vote

(BOSTON) – State Representative Garrett J. Bradley, D-Hingham, joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation to join an interstate compact that would ensure that the candidate who wins the national popular vote is elected President of the United States.

 “House members recognized that the current system is inherently undemocratic, and has become outdated and obsolete,” said Rep. Bradley, who spoke in favor of the bill on the House Floor. “In every other election, except for the highest office in the land, the person with the most votes wins. This bill will ensure that the voters of Massachusetts have an equal voice in the process.”

Rep. Bradley, while serving as Chairman of the Committee on Election Laws in 2008, led the fight to pass the national popular vote proposal in the House.  The legislative session ended before the Senate could enact the bill.  Supporters will try again to pass the bill before July 31.

“The vote by the House today puts us one step closer to joining the National Popular Vote compact to ensure that the person who wins the popular vote in all 50 states and District of Columbia becomes President of the United States,” said Rep. Michael Moran, House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Election Laws. “Four times a President who did not win the popular vote has been sworn into office.  This compact will end that possibility. All the members of the House voting on this bill were able to do so because they ran for the office and got the most votes. This compact will allow future Presidents of the United States to say the same thing.”

“I congratulate the Massachusetts House on their actions today in passing a bill that will create a more democratic process for electing the President of the United States,” said Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “Speaker DeLeo, Election Laws Chair Mike Moran, and the House leadership have demonstrated a commitment to the principles on which this country was founded – that each citizen's voice should be equal to that of any other. The National Popular Vote legislation will, at long last, put an end to an antiquated and problematic institution.”

Under this legislation, Massachusetts would appropriate all of its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote regardless of which candidate garners the most votes in Massachusetts.

There are a total of 538 electoral votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The National Popular Vote compact would only take effect when the combined electoral votes of the participating states reach 270 – the majority of electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

There are currently five states that have joined the National Popular Vote compact by enacting this legislation: Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington. These states carry 61 electoral votes. This legislation would add Massachusetts’ 12 electoral votes to the total, giving the compact 27% of the electoral votes needed to take effect.