There has been some recent discussion of North Carolina adopting a
national popular voting system for President of the United
States. This plan was apparently dead for the short session, but
it appears to have a little bit of life. Next year, I’d expect it
to get far more consideration.
The bill got hurriedly pushed through the Senate last year along party lines
(D’s for it, R’s against it). It died out in the House.
Given that it already has passed the Senate, anything can happen this
short session. Last year, as I mentioned, it passed the Senate in
a mad rush. The House needs to be on the alert for this misguided
legislation.
Here’s how I described the proposal more than a year ago in a Carolina Beat:
“If a plan introduced in the legislature gets passed, and it
might, North Carolina would make a compact with other states to support
the Presidential candidate that receives the most votes in the nation.
This plan, referred to as national popular voting, is a response to the
rare situation when the President wins an election despite receiving
fewer popular votes than the losing candidate.”
Some excerpts:
“The biggest problem with the plan is that
it ignores the will of North Carolinians. If every single citizen of
North Carolina voted for one candidate, the state would still have to
support the opposing candidate if that individual received more
national popular votes. This plan should be called the anti-North
Carolina popular voting plan…
If such a plan were passed, North
Carolina will be letting out-of-state citizens decide the candidate
that the state will support in Presidential elections. The legislature
will be saying that the voices of North Carolinians don?t matter. It
will be a sad day when North Carolinians have to defend their right to
have a voice in Presidential elections. Unfortunately, that day has
arrived.”
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Let’s hope this doesn’t go anywhere.
