October 2020 – Updates from the Chair
NPV a Priority Regardless of Election Outcome
Polls show that Biden is leading Trump by between 3% and 10% nationwide as of the last week in October. But there is no agreement on how each of the candidates will do in the Electoral College. Because most states have passed “winner take all” rules, election results now depend on small slivers of the voting population in swing or battleground states. This is what happened in 2016 when Trump lost the popular vote by 2.8 million votes but won the Electoral College because of the “winner take all” rules in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin by a mere 78,000 vote margin. This may happen again this year as well but would not if NPV were in effect.
With 15 states and DC having passed NPVIC bills for a total of 196 Electoral Votes, we need only another 76 votes to activate NPV. Regardless of the election outcome next week, our democracy should never again be beholden to small sliver of the population. This is why your Floridians for National Popular Vote is committed to getting NPVIC bills passed in Florida and across the nation.
League of Women Voters Makes NPV a priority for 2021
The LWVUS has long supported electing the president by popular vote. In 1970, the League supported an amendment to the Constitution that passed in the House but failed because of a Senate filibuster. In 2010, the LWVUS conducted a “concurrence” and expressed their support of the National Popular Vote as one acceptable way to achieve the goal of the direct popular vote of the President.
This past September, the LWVUS updated their 2021 Legislative Guidance and included the following regarding National Popular Vote (NPV):
Establish popular election: Support the popular election of the President through a compact among the states governing how they would cast their votes in the Electoral College.
Utilize the National Popular Vote Compact: Support the use of the National Popular Vote Compact as one acceptable way to achieve the goal of the direct popular vote for election of the president until the abolition of the Electoral College is accomplished.
Replace winner take all laws: Respect the right of state legislatures to replace winner take all laws.
98% of the general-election campaign events (119 of 122) by the major-party presidential and vice-presidential candidates during the first nine weeks (August 28 to October 22, 2020) of the 2020 campaign has been in just 12 closely divided battleground states. 80% of the events were in just 7 states — Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona. All of the 122 events were in just 15 states. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia have not received any general-election campaign events at all.
This has long-term implications since “swing” states receive more grants and greater federal largess. California has received little help for its devastating fires nor has Texas for its horrific hurricanes this past year. Both are reliably blue and red states respectively and therefore receive little federal attention. Having a President who is elected by a minority of voters is not good for the country long term.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE
NPV Programs
Below are the available NPV Videos. Just click on “Watch here” to view.
Interview with MSNBC Political Analyst Rick Tyler & former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis: The Conservative Case for a National Popular Vote Watch here
Interview with Former Lt. Gov Michael Steele (R-MD) on his Support of Electing the President by National Popular Vote
Watch here
Interview with Former Lt. Gov Michael Steele (R-MD) on his Support of Electing the President by National Popular Vote
Interview with Professor George Edwards III, presidential scholar and author of the book Why the Electoral College is Bad for America
Interview with New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman on his recent book Let the People Pick the President
Debating the Electoral College at The Cooper Union
Watch here
Neal Peirce, author of The People’s President, and Dr. John Koza, Chair of National Popular Vote, debated the Electoral College with Tara Ross, author of Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College, and Trent England, Director of Save Our States.MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell moderated this discussion on whether the electoral college is an essential element of our democracy or an obstacle to it.
Note: NPV only works within the Electoral College system; hence we support its improvement not its elimination at the present time.
How to Give National Popular Vote 101 Presentation
Tuesday, October 27, 3:00 PM EDT, Sign up here
A walk through on how to use the National Popular Vote slideshow template and give presentations in your own community. For volunteers.
Introduction to National Popular Vote – Webinar
November 4th 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT Sign up here
November 5th 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT Sign up here
November 6th 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT Sign up here
November 9th 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT Sign up here
Learn how we currently elect the President and about our plan to elect the President by National Popular Vote. Electing the President by National Popular Vote is the only reform that makes every vote for President equal and guarantees that whichever candidate receives the most votes becomes the President. Join staff from National Popular Vote to learn how this legislation works, how close it is to reality, and how you can get involved.
Debunking the Most Common Myths
About a National Popular Vote – Webinar
Friday, November 6th 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT Sign up here
Tuesday, November 10th 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT Sign up here
We’ll review the most common misconceptions that people have about electing the President by National Popular Vote with a focus on preparing attendees to respond to this opposition themselves. This is good for individuals who want to be better informed about the bill, and/or be better able to respond to these misconceptions on their own. Recommended: Have some preliminary understanding of National Popular Vote OR attend an Intro to NPV webinar first.
Advice to Speakers – Webinar
Wednesday, November 18th 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT Sign up here
A presentation on the do’s and don’ts of talking about National Popular Vote. Helpful for people who want to be as informed as possible when talking with their friends and family about National Popular Vote, and for people who might be presenting about National Popular Vote to a civic or community group. Recommended: Have some preliminary understanding of National Popular Vote OR attend an Intro to NPV webinar first.
How to Give National Popular Vote 101 Presentation – Webinar
Tuesday, October 27th 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT Sign up here
Thursday, November 19th 3:00 PM PT / 12:00 PM PT Sign up here
A walk through on how to use the National Popular Vote slideshow template and give presentations in your own community. For volunteers.
NPV District Chair Monthly Meetings (Zoom) First Thursday of Every Month from 5:30 – 6:30 PM EST
Next dates:
Thursday, Nov 5, 2020
January 7, 2021
Special Florida NPV Summit: Planning for 2021
Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Contact Marcia Herman at marciavotes@gmail.com for an invitation to these meetings.
Volunteers Needed
- Writer to profile volunteers
- Researcher to help with “In the News”
For more information, please contact Kathleen Crampton.
Donations
We humbly accept your donations to help us do the good work of passing NPV in Florida.
Thank you.
NPV Opens “On-Line Store”
Want to get our message out there? Hoping to stir up some interest in NPV?
Check out this link to see all the things ways you can help advertise National Popular Vote. The pictures below show a sample of what is available.
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