How the 2020 Census Results Effect NPV

In April, the census reapportionment data was released with Florida gaining one electoral college vote along with Montana, Colorado, Oregon, and North Carolina. Several states lost an elector, while Texas added 2.

Overall, the National Popular Vote bill, which has passed in 16 jurisdictions, lost 1 vote toward our goal of 270 for the bill to take effect. NPV now has 195 committed Electoral Votes toward implementation. Read more here.

Why are states racing to pass new voting laws?

The Electoral College! Individual states are concerned with their specific outcomes, known as winner-take-all, in presidential elections.

Winner-take-all laws in 48 of 50 states determine that the plurality winner in that state takes ALL the Electors in the state even if it’s only a one vote difference. They don’t concern themselves with the national popular vote (the winner in all 50 states combined).

Only 10-12 states are considered “battleground” states… and worth fighting over. Using this map, if you hover over any of the battleground states, you’ll see why votes in those locations are more important than others: Georgia and Arizona were won by .5% or less, Pennsylvania by 1.2%, Wisconsin by .7%, North Carolina by 1.4%. Ninety percent of all campaigning happens in those few states, but if all votes counted equally, then a larger difference per state wouldn’t matter if it were Red or Blue. Large numbers of voters from both parties are disenfranchised by winner-take-all laws. Examples are Ohio, Virginia, Maine and Texas.

Now you know why both sides are so invested in voting laws that count or don’t count even a small portion of their population. Read more here.

Michael Steele Supports the National Popular Vote

Floridians for National Popular Vote is pleased to announce that Michael Steele will speak at the Lifelong Learning Auditorium at FAU Boca Raton on why the National Popular Vote is such an elegant solution to fairly elect the president while preserving the Electoral College. As he says. “I’m an American, a conservative and a Republican, in that order……”

Be sure to save November 9, 2021 at 2 PM. The event will be in-person as well as recorded for later viewing. Stay tuned for details on how to register.
The event is co-sponsored by Floridians for NPV, League of Women Voters Palm Beach Country, Florida Atlantic University, and FAU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

In the News

Our Editor is on hiatus for the rest of the summer, so we’ll be resuming our monthly summary of national articles related to the National Popular Vote when she returns. If you see an article or editorial you think we should share, please forward it or a link to it to NPVFL1@gmail.com. For past issues, visit our archive.

Debunking Most Common Myths about a National Popular Vote

Monday, July 26 7:00 PM ET /  4:00 PM PT Sign up here

Michael Steele Supports the National Popular Vote

Floridians for National Popular Vote is pleased to announce that Michael Steele will speak at the Lifelong Learning Auditorium at FAU Boca Raton on why the National Popular Vote is such an elegant solution to fairly elect the president while preserving the Electoral College. As he says. “I’m an American, a conservative and a Republican, in that order……”

Be sure to save November 9, 2021 at 2 PM. The event will be in-person as well as recorded for later viewing. Stay tuned for details on how to register.

The event is co-sponsored by Floridians for NPV, League of Women Voters Palm Beach Country, Florida Atlantic University, and FAU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Floridians for National Popular Vote Educational Caucus

At the Floridians for National Popular Vote Caucus at the League of Women Voter’s Florida State Convention, Suzanne Lowe presented the National Popular Vote concept along with the most cited myths about how and why the bill functions. You can view and listen to a recording of the presentation here.

To schedule Floridians for National Popular Vote for a zoom or in-person presentation for your audience, click here. We have experts throughout Florida.

Newly Formed Legislative Committee

Members of Floridians for National Popular Vote have formed a Legislative Committee to brainstorm about how to best educate Florida legislators about the NPV bill. The committee is headed by attorney Angie Wegner.

The goal of the committee is to recommend potential strategies to the Floridians for National Popular Vote’s steering committee and the district chair volunteers in their continuing outreach to legislators and their staff.

A collaborative effort is the best approach when engaging grassroots volunteers with diverse skill sets.

2021 Op-Eds in Florida Newspapers

Floridians for National Popular Vote Volunteers have written 20+ Op-Eds to their local newspapers as an education campaign for Floridians to understand the bill and it’s implications. The National Popular Vote bill preserves the Electoral College and each states right to determine how their Electors vote.

2021 Legislative session ends; what to do now!

Dear NPV Advocates:

Once again, the National Popular Vote bill was filed in the Florida House and Senate, but no action was taken. However, we continue to learn and strategize.

Here is what we accomplished:
House Bill 39 filed by Rep. Joseph Geller had 5 co-sponsors. The most ever. We continue to gather support.
Many of you contacted your local legislators showing support for NPV. Even if you didn’t get a meeting, your emails and calls matter!
Twenty-two newspapers around the state published Op-Eds written by our NPV District Chairs. Many letters-to-the-editor were penned in reply to those Op-Eds. Click here for a list.
Five hundred sixty legislators and their staff received a series of emails explaining NPV. This non-partisan educational exercise was aimed at dispelling the myths around NPV.
We got social! After 2 years of piggy-backing on existing social media pages, Angie Wegner joined our team and now manages the Floridians for NPV presence on Facebook and Twitter.
Conservatives for yes for NPV joined Floridians for NPV as a coalition member. It’s especially important in Florida to show that conservatives are confident that a National Popular Vote is in everyone’s best interest.

Here’s what to do next:

Write to your legislators and THANK them for all they do! Find something specific you can agree with and mention that. Seriously. Plant the seed for your next encounter to be friendly rather than adversarial. Here’s a list of a few laws that were passed that you can reference.
Attend the League of Women Voters Florida Convention June 4 – 5, 2021. It will be virtual and Floridians for National Popular Vote will present a workshop. Exact date & time TBA. Open to LWV members only.
If you’d like to be more involved, reach out to your local District Chair. Their contact information is located on the map on our website or through our District Chair Organizer, Anne Coppenhaver. We’d love to have you!
For our 2022 strategy planning, tell us which legislators you spoke to especially if they seemed reasonable. Maybe not convinced, but at least open-minded. This will help us concentrate our efforts.
Make it a point to be active in voting issues, like fair districting, open primaries, ranked-choice voting and campaign finance reform. We need a combination of these reforms to get reasonable legislators elected rather than extremists on either side. Only then will we have a fair chance of getting NPV passed in Florida.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support,

Deb Mazzaferro
Co-founder
Marketing and Strategy

Update on US Census and Redistricting

Every 10 years, the US conducts a census. Due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 census results are delayed until September 2021. However, the League of Women Voters, All on the Line and many other non-partisan advocacy organizations are already planning ways to ensure the districts drawn are fair for all voters.

Click here for more information.

What is happening with the National Popular Vote in the 2021 Florida Legislative Session?

In a word….nothing.

While we have filed bills in the Florida House and Senate, and we have committee assignments, our legislators haven’t taken notice.

Still, we persevere.

We are sending weekly emails to all legislators and their staff explaining the National Popular Vote bill, and we continue to educate that it is within their purview to change how electors vote. We also address the most common myths.

Our Communications Team and our local volunteers have secured Op-ed placements in 22 newspapers around the state. Follow-up letters-to-the-editors have reinforced the Op-eds’ stance.

Our local volunteers have reached out to their respective legislators to show support and ensure the bill is understood correctly.

Around the country, the National Popular Vote bill has been filed in 11 states this year. With 196 electoral votes already committed, we only need 74 to reach the total of 270 for the bill to go into effect.

It’s a continuing battle, but we expect to pass in enough states in time for the bill to be in effect for 2024. We appreciate your continued support! See the NY State article below on a case study toward passage and a typical path to success.

Deb Mazzaferro
Co-founder & Strategist

How the Filibuster Killed National Popular Vote for President in 1969

With Senate filibusters in the news every day, Jesse Wegman of the New York Times Editorial Board tells how a national popular vote was killed by a filibuster led by Southern segregationists in 1969. (read the full column).

National Popular Vote Expands Advisory Board

Continuing its tradition of non-partisan support of ensuring the president is elected by the popular vote in all 50 states, National Popular Vote (click to see the list) has expanded its advisory board to include new members from across the political spectrum.

New York State Case Study

New York is commonly considered a Blue state; however, the National Popular Vote bill was introduced there in 2007 by Republicans. Final passage was in 2011, when two-thirds of each party supported the measure in both the Senate and Assembly.

The bill’s sponsor, New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (R) stated in 2006:
“To ensure the popular election of the President is (sic) a creative and innovative way to attain this goal. New York State, the Empire State should take a leadership role in energizing our democracy.”

Similarities to Florida: At the time, New York, with twenty-nine Electoral votes, was America’s third-largest state and Republicans dominated the NY Senate. A survey showed 79% of New York voters supported the popular election of the president. The bill was introduced every year from 2007 to 2014 until it passed in 2011. Read the entire history here.

Learn About Ranked Choice Voting

At Floridians for National Popular Vote, we support other election reforms that lead to majority winners in our elections rather than plurality winners. Ranked Choice Voting is an excellent proposal in that pursuit.

Here is an opportunity to learn more and understand the process so you can support it when it comes up.

RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than having to just choose one. If no candidate has a 50%+ majority in the first tally, the candidates in last place will be eliminated one by one. If your first choice candidate is eliminated, your vote goes to your second choice. The process narrows until the top candidate with true majority support is selected. This means you can vote for whoever you prefer without concern about wasting or splitting a vote. LWV SRQ Sarasota County supports Ranked Choice Voting because it has been shown to encourage candidates to focus on issues, reducing negative campaigning and polarization. More women and people of color run for office and win in cities using RCV. Ranked Choice Voting saves municipalities money by eliminating the time and cost of run-off elections. Most importantly, your vote will always count.

The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County invites you to join them on Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00pm via Zoom to learn about Ranked Choice Voting for municipal elections in Sarasota County. To join the call register here.

You’d think passing a bill would be common sense!

The majority of Americans want to move to a National Popular Vote for President. Here’s a recent survey.

Common sense would dictate that concepts popular with the American people would motivate our legislators to focus on such things during their 2-month annual legislative session in Tallahassee.

Prior to my involvement with trying to pass a law with popular support, I didn’t understand the importance of who controls the legislative process. I often wondered why issues that pollsters told us are popular with voters don’t see the light of day.

Here’s what actually happens:
Every other year there is an election.
The winners are assigned committees based on which party is in power. The majority party controls all committee chairs and the majority of members on each committee will be from that party, effectively blocking any action by the minority party to advance their agenda.
Each Florida Representative can file a maximum of 7 bills. Senators can file an unlimited number. Newly elected members are usually told by leadership which bills they can sponsor. This still results in 3500+ bills each session. Most bills are written by special interests groups. Legislators rarely understand the implications of these bills in their early stages. About 250 bills are actually passed each session.
Bills are assigned to committees.
Any bill must go through each committee in a specific order to get to the next one. Our National Popular Vote HB#39 is assigned to Public Integrity and Elections. It must make it through that committee before it will move to Judiciary. This means the representatives on the Judiciary Committee aren’t paying the least attention to HB#39 until they are required to by passage in the previous committee.
If it passes these two committees, it goes to the House floor for a full vote. Because HB#39 is an interstate compact, there can be no amendments along the way. Most bills will have lots of proposed amendments and will have to go through reconciliation with a companion bill passed by the Senate.
The Senate Committees assigned to SB#1092 (our companion bill) are Ethics and Elections, Judiciary, and Rules. These various committees can wait for the House to act, go through the process concurrently or table it.
As the bill passes one committee it becomes possible to be taken up by the next one. If it passes all three, the full Senate votes.
If it passes the Senate, the Governor has three choices: sign the bill into law, not sign it allowing it to become law without his signature after 7 days during session or 15 days after session ends or veto it.

Here is where common sense does not make come into play:

The majority party has control of the process.
What the people want has nothing to do with what bills are heard in committee or debated in either chamber.
The bills that are passed are pre-determined by Leadership of the majority party.

All is not lost!

Grassroots efforts bring popular concepts to legislators’ attention. Last month you learned about 6 actions you can take to make your voices heard on NPV. Let your representatives know how important this bill is to you and to America. Keep up the good work on behalf of National Popular Vote.

And it’s extremely important to understand the positions of those we elect.

Thank you!

Deb Mazzaferro
Co-founder & Strategist

National Popular Vote Bills Filed in Florida

You can follow House Bill #39, here.            You can follow House Bill #39, here.

Both Bills are identical to the compact passed in 16 jurisdictions across the US accounting for 196 electoral votes. When the bill has 270 electors committed to voting for the candidate who has received the most votes in all 50 states, the bill goes into effect.

Florida’s 29 electors amount to 1/3 of the 74 needed!

Call, write and advocate your legislators to support these bills.

SHOP OUR STORE HERE!

IT’S TIME TO GET TO WORK!

Welcome to 2021 and the start of the Florida Legislative Session! We are excited to jump into action and have several ways you can help.

Remember, the National Popular Vote bill is non-partisan. Both Republicans and Democrats are supporting it. You might enjoy this recording of a conservative making the case for a National Popular Vote.

Since the majority of Florida legislators are Republican, we need them to understand that the compact does not abolish the Electoral College. Instead, it maintains the states’ rights to direct their electors. All Floridians for NPV efforts are best served when we are knowledgeable, respectful and grateful to our legislators.

A special thanks to Senator Lori Berman, District 31, for role-playing with us on January 7. While she played legislator, our co-communications manager, Cynthia Archbold, volunteered to present the National Popular Vote to her. A lively exchange ensued, illustrating what it’s like when you have a busy legislator firing questions at you!

Thank you!

Deb Mazzafarro

Co-founder & Strategist

SIX STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO GETTING NPV PASSED IN FLORIDA

Number 1: Track the House Bill #39

The NPV Compact has been assigned House Bill #39 and sent to two committees, Public Integrity and Elections and Judiciary. Follow the links to view the members of each committee.

You can track the bill by using a handy tool, click here.

Number 2: Thank our Co-Sponsors

We already have three co-sponsors:
Anna Eskamani, District 47;
Michael Grieco, District 113 and
Carlos Guillermo Smith, District 49.

Follow the links to send them an email message!

Number 3: Every Tuesday is Talk to Your Legislator Day

Join our new private Facebook Group, started by Angie Wegner, to mobilize Floridians. She’ll be providing specific instructions for you to be an activist for our cause especially during the next three months while our legislators are in committee and then in session.

Number 4: Write to Your Legislators

The National Popular Vote website has a very handy tool with several email templates.

All you need to do is enter your zip code and choose one of the suggested letters in support of NPV to send to your legislator. You can edit or write your own if you are feeling creative!

[Check out the monthly In the News for interesting phrases and figures, used in various news articles, that you can adapt to your letters]

Number 5: Forward our New Video

Shore up your knowledge of NPV and introduce friends, family and your legislators to the National Popular Vote by forwarding this link!

Number 6: Book a Speaker

Have Zoom, will travel! We have Subject Matter Experts available to speak to your group or accompany you to your meeting with your legislator. Just ask!