July/August 2026 Update

NVPNetwork Marks Successful Appearance at LWV-US Convention

Members of the National Popular Vote Network (NPVNetwork) took part in the League of Women Voters-US (LWV-US) National Convention held at the Hilton Downtown in Columbus, Ohio from June 26 through June 28.  The Convention was attended by over 900 in-person delegates and 300 virtual delegates. This biennial event sets the LWVLUS’s budget, program priorities, and election of officers for the next two-year period. NPVNetwork’s participation included sponsoring an educational breakout session, hosting an information table, and sponsoring an NPV Resolution for delegate consideration.

NPVNetwork is an advocacy group run under the auspices of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and the League of Women Voters-US.  Its purpose is to support the passage of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.  Working with local volunteers, NPVNetwork encourages educational programs which focus on convincing the public of the value of electing the president by popular vote rather than the “winner take all” system currently employed by most states. Floridians for National Popular Vote is one of the State organizations that is a part of this group.

NPV Breakout Session very well attended  

Approximately 250 delegates filled almost every seat in the NPVNetwork break-out session titled “How Passage of NPV Will Help Fix our Constitutional Crisis.”  The keynote speaker was Joan Porte, President of the LWV-Virginia, who discussed how their volunteers helped pass NPV in her state. Additional speakers included Suzanne Fisher of North Carolina, Barbara Paterick of Wisconsin, and Kathleen Crampton of Florida.

On the left, Kathleen Crampton with Joan Porte, President,LWV-Virginia, who outlined the amazing job her team did to help pass NPV in her state. On the right, Suzanne Fisher, LWV Asheville-Buncombe County, NC, NPV action chair LWV North Carolina, answers a question.

NPV Information Table Constantly Busy

The Information Table attracted a line of delegates seeking more information on the status of NPV — which states had already joined the coalition, and which states were likely to join — and how they could get involved in their own state.  Delegates from Florida, Leslie Feingold and Valerie Shultz, provided leadership at the table, responding to questions ranging from NPV constitutional issues to finding the nearest restroom!

Overwhelming Approval of NPV Resolution, With Funds For NPV in 2026-2028 Budget

The NPV resolution was overwhelmingly approved by a vote to 886 yeas to 22 nays.  The Resolution clarified that passage of the NPV Interstate Compact is the first step towards abolishing the Electoral College.  As a further show of support by the League, their 2026 budget includes funds to support efforts to get NPV passed in additional states.  Currently, 18 states and DC have signed on, with Virginia being the latest, bringing the total to 222 Electoral Votes, only 48 short of the 270 required to elect the president by popular vote.

NPVNetwork is grateful for the delegates’ overwhelming support and assistance going forward.

Senator Birch Bayh: Champion of “Let Every Vote Count!”

Birch Evans Bayh Jr. was a Democratic Senator from Indiana who served in Congress from 1963 through 1981.  He died in March of 2019.  During his term of office, he authored two constitutional amendments: 25 and 26.  The former designated the transition of power should the president become incapacitated; the latter lowered the voting age to 18, both of which passed.  Less successful were his efforts to ratify the ERA and to eliminate the United States Electoral College!  The following is the introductory paragraph of NPR’s Radio Hour’s broadcast, The Unpopular Vote, which tells the forgotten story of Senator Bayh’s efforts to have the people elect the President.  Click this link to listen to the entirety of this intriguing broadcast.

“In the 1960s, then-President Lyndon Johnson approached an ambitious young senator known as the Kennedy of the Midwest to tweak the way Americans elect their president. The more Senator Birch Bayh looked into the electoral college, the more he believed it was a ticking time bomb hidden in the Constitution that someone needed to defuse. With overwhelming support in Congress, the endorsement of multiple presidents, and polling showing that over 80 percent of the American public supported abolishing it, it looked like he might just pull it off. So why do we still have the electoral college? And will we actually ever get rid of it?”

A Personal Recollection of Birch Bayh: An Interview with Barbara J. Katz

Barbara J. Katz was Deputy Press Secretary for Senator Bayh from 1969 -1971, the years of his greatest efforts to change the way America votes for its President.  She was interviewed for this article by Susan Goldfein, FNPV steering committee member.

SG:  How did you end up working for Senator Bayh? Was politics your ambition?

BJK:  No, it was a fluke, really.  My ambition was journalism.  In 1967 I graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and landed a job working for CBS Radio in Chicago.  When their ratings began to fall they reduced their staff.  Since I was one of the last hired, I was one of the first fired. A friend suggested I try my luck in Washington, D.C.  I had nothing to lose, so I applied for writing jobs on Capitol Hill and was considered for a spot with the now-defunct Washington Star.

SG: So, how did you wind up working for a Senator?

BJK: I almost took a spot working as press secretary for a New Jersey congressman who wound up getting indicted! Then Senator Bayh’s office offered me a job as a writer, and I became his Deputy Press Secretary.  The position gave me the opportunity to observe and learn the workings of Congress.

SG: By 1969, Senator Bayh, as head of the Judiciary Committee’s Sub-Committee on Constitutional Amendments, had spearheaded the passage of two constitutional amendments, Amendment 25 dealing with Presidential succession in the event of disability of the current president, and Amendment 26, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.  This was a rare achievement.  Why do you think he was able to accomplish this?

BJK: Congress was a different place back then.  People on both sides of the aisle were more amicable.   Senator Bayh had friends on both sides of the aisle, both politically and socially.  His work ethic was strong, coupled with the ability to really immerse himself in what he was trying to accomplish. He had taken this backwater subcommittee and turned it into a juggernaut. He was highly respected.

SG: How did elimination of the Electoral College become his next mission?

BJK: President Johnson asked him to look into the issue of Faithless Electors.  This refers to those members of the Electoral College in a given state who do not cast their vote for the Presidential candidate who won that state.  They either abstain or vote for a different candidate.  The more he learned about the Electoral College the more convinced he became that it was dangerous.

SG: How did he proceed?

BJK: He launched the amendment in 1969, shortly before I started working for him.  He built a strong coalition beyond Congress: the American Bar Association, The League of Women Voters, Chambers of Commerce, and support of the American people.  By 1969 when the Amendment went before the House, it passed easily with 80% of the vote.  Unfortunately, it hit a wall in the Senate.

SG: Did he abandon the effort?

BJK: No, he was dogged when he believed in something.  He tried again under President Nixon and had Nixon’s support until Bayh led a successful campaign to reject two of Nixon’s nominees for an opening on the Supreme Court.  Both men were highly unqualified.  Nixon was humiliated and withdrew his support of the amendment. It came up once again with the backing of President Carter but was successfully opposed by two surprising voting blocs. *

SG: What was your overall impression of Senator Bayh?

BJK: He was a lovely person, decent and charming.  Behind his midwestern “aw shucks” demeanor, he was knowledgeable and sophisticated.  He was all about public service.  He was immensely proud of his son, Evan, who eventually became a governor and a senator.

SG: What do you think of National Popular Vote as an alternate to a constitutional amendment?

BJK: I think it’s a very clever, creative solution to the very real problem we have with our presidential elections failing to reflect the will of the people.

*Full details available on radio broadcast.

Ms. Katz eventually returned to journalism and worked for United Press International and the National Observer.  She then became a lawyer and from 1991-2005 worked in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  She currently resides in Sarasota, Florida, and Delaware.  She is retired from “paid work” but remains active in Democratic politics in both Florida and Delaware, serving on the Sarasota County Democratic Committee and was a representative from Florida to the last Democratic convention.

Around Florida: Presentation Update

• Palm Beach Gardens: On Sunday, May 17, Steering Committee member Daniel Lishansky, gave an NVP presentation to an audience of 50 on behalf of Speak Up for America – Indivisibles of Palm Beach Gardens.
• Pinellas County: On May 1, Steering Committee member Paul Carder spoke before an audience of approximately 30 engaged members of the Pinellas County Urban League: Politics and Popcorn series.  A post-presentation quiz, called a “Kahoot’s test” was administered to the audience to quantify their understanding of the subject matter. Carder was gratified that the participants received good scores!

Left: Paul Carder, Center: Participants. Right: Nikki Gaskin-Capehart, President and CEO of the Chapter.

Myth Busters

Myth: NPV will generate voter fraud

Reality: There is almost no voter fraud today and that will not change under NPV.  Under NPV, where candidates win by 3-7 million votes nationwide, it would take an inconceivable amount of voter fraud to change an election.