March 2023 – Update
Florida State Senator Victor Torres Files National Popular Vote Bill to Make Every Vote Equal
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – On February 16, Florida State Senator Victor Torres (Senate District 25) introduced the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact “NPV” Bill (Senate Bill 860) to guarantee that the candidate with the most votes wins the U.S. presidency. State Representative Michael Gottlieb previously filed a companion bill (House Bill 53) in the State House of Representatives.
“Twice since 2000, we have elected a president who lost the popular vote, Bush in 2000 and Trump in 2016, highlighting the flaws in our current system. Florida’s legislature needs to pass this bill now,” said Torres. “The candidate who wins the most votes in all 50 states should be president.”
Florida along with 48 other states passed “winner-take-all” laws in the 1800s that awarded all of the state’s electoral votes to the winner of the state’s popular vote. The NPV bill would replace the winner-take-all law so that all of Florida’s 30 electoral votes would go to the candidate who wins the most total votes in all 50 states. This would mean all of Florida’s votes would count.
“Taking a conservative approach, the NPV bill does not eliminate the Electoral College, nor does it require a constitutional amendment,” said Torres. “It is passed by the states, which have plenary authority over how they award their electoral votes under Article 2 Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.”
“Currently, presidential candidates campaign in just eight to ten battleground states, neglecting to visit the 40 or more other states,” said Kathleen Crampton, founder & chair of Floridians for National Popular Vote. “The result has been the election of five minority presidents and low turnout in states overlooked by candidates who focus their attention on fringe issues and voter groups. Enacting NPV would encourage candidates to campaign in all 50 states and focus on issues important to all voters, not just those of a minority on the right or left.”
“Most voters want to elect the president by popular vote,” said Crampton. “In a poll conducted last summer by the Pew Research Center, 63% of respondents, up from 55% the previous year, said they supported electing the president by popular vote.”
“To date, 15 states and the District of Columbia, containing a total of 195 electoral votes, have passed the legislation—that’s just 75 electoral votes shy of 270, which is the threshold that would activate the law,” said Crampton. “When we pass this bill in Florida with our 30 electoral votes, NPV will be over three quarters of the way to guaranteeing that the president is the winner of the National Popular Vote. It would honor the will of the people.”