A key bill to fix the Electoral College in Oregon could be on the legislative docket any day now. Will you click here to urge your lawmakers to support it?
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The Electoral College needs fixing because presidential candidates regularly ignore Oregon under the current system of electing the President.
Please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475). Your action NOW can make a difference because the bill is expected to come up shortly in the Oregon legislature.
Presidential campaigns routinely ignore Oregon because electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most popular votes within each separate state.
The result of this so-called "winner-take-all rule" is that candidates virtually ignore states, like Oregon, where the statewide outcome is a foregone conclusion.
Because of the current "winner-take-all" rule, a mere 12 states received all 253 general-election campaign events in the 2012 campaign. The closely divided "battleground" state of Iowa (which is smaller than Oregon) received 27 events, while Oregon received none. Nevada (smaller than Oregon) received 13 events, while Oregon received none.
The winner-take-all rule adversely affects governance as well as campaigning. Sitting Presidents (whether planning their own re-election or the election of their preferred successor) pay inordinate attention to closely divided "battleground" states. "Battleground" states receive over 7% more grants (and over 5% more grant dollars) than other states.
A closely divided "battleground" state can expect to receive twice as many presidential disaster declarations as an uncompetitive state. Even worse, many major policy decisions are made with the special interests of so-called "battleground" states in mind.
Under the National Popular Vote bill, the Electoral College would be reformed so that the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC will become President.
If you believe that a vote cast in Oregon should count as much as a vote cast anywhere else, please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475).
Under a national popular vote, every voter in every state would matter in every presidential election. A vote in Oregon (Republican, Democrat, or independent) would be just as valuable as a vote in a closely divided state such as Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Florida, or Colorado.
The U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 1) gives the states exclusive control over awarding their electoral votes: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors…." Using the constitutional power that the states already have, the states can reform the method of awarding their electoral votes so as to establish a national popular vote for President (while retaining the Electoral College and state control of elections).
The National Popular Vote bill has already been enacted into law by 11 states, including four small states (Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia), three medium-sized states (Washington state, Maryland, and Massachusetts), and three big states (Illinois, California, and New Jersey). The bill has passed a total of 33 state legislative chambers in 22 states.
The Oregon House has twice passed the bill by 38-21 and 39-19 margins. This year, the bill is already sponsored by 16 Oregon Senators (out of 30).
The National Popular Vote bill would not take effect until enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough to elect a President (270 of 538). After the bill takes effect, the President would be the candidate who received the most popular votes from all 50 states (and DC) on Election Day. Then, when the Electoral College meets in mid-December, the national popular vote winner would receive all of the electoral votes from the enacting states.
The current system has elected a second-place candidate in 4 of the nation's 57 presidential elections. The National Popular Vote bill would eliminate this possibility by guaranteeing that the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC) would become President.
If you believe that a vote cast in Oregon should count as much as a vote cast anywhere else, please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475).
Learn more at www.NationalPopularVote.com.
Click here to like National Popular Vote.
Thank you.
—Demand Progress and Oregon National Popular Vote
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