ROANOKE, Va. – A bill on the Governor’s desk could change how the Commonwealth’s Electoral College votes work in presidential elections.
House Bill 965 would add Virginia to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under this agreement, member states promise to give all of their Electoral College votes to whoever wins the most votes nationwide, rather than the candidate who wins in their individual state. The compact only takes effect once states totaling at least 270 of the 538 Electoral College votes have joined.
Right now, 18 states are part of the compact. If Virginia signs on, it would become the 19th member, bringing the group’s total to 209 electoral votes — 61 short of the 270 needed to activate the system.
Supporters say the change is about making sure the presidential candidate with the most votes from Americans actually wins.
“The electoral college was put in place at the beginning of our country’s founding, really because the founders didn’t really trust the people,” said Delegate Sam Rasoul, who voted for the bill. “I think we’ve advanced past that. We want to make sure that the will of the people is truly reflected in these elections.”
Opponents argue the proposal is really about gaining a partisan advantage and rewriting the rules.
“This bill is just another attempt to change the rules of the game when it comes to elections here in Virginia,” said Jack Collins, a member of the Hill City Young Republicans. “This is just an effort to tip the scales politically in favor of one party.”
Some Virginians who spoke with 10 News said they like that idea.
“I think the popular vote speaks for the people — that’s what the people feel,” said Lewis Paige, who has lived and worked in half the states across the country. “So often that’s what people are saying.”
“I like the popular vote,” added Julia Reed. “I think that’s probably more fair.”
10 News also reached out to Senator Mark Peake and he sent us a statement saying:“The National Popular Vote is a horrible idea. It directly contradicts what our Founding Fathers envisioned when they created the Electoral College. It will take all power away from the smaller states and place it in the hands of the most populous cities.
If the National Popular Vote passes, all of the attention and emphasis will be on the 6 to 10 most populous cities and will exclude the rest of the country. Most of the country will never see it and add an individual running for president. Not to mention, it really opens the system up to fraud when big cities know that they control the outcome of a presidential election."
Delegate Dan Helmer also sent 10 News a statement that said:“Twice in our lifetimes we’ve seen Republican candidates elected to the Presidency despite losing the popular vote - with disastrous long-term effects for our country. At a time when faith in our form of government is at a historic low, and billionaires can buy our elections without consequence, we need commonsense measures like the National Popular Vote Contract to restore trust in our democracy.”