Gov. Janet Mills (D) announced Monday that she will be allowing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact — an agreement that could bring about sweeping changes to how the President of the United States is elected — to become law without her signature.
By joining this Compact, Maine’s four electoral votes could eventually be awarded to whichever presidential candidate garners the most votes nationwide, irrespective of who the majority of Mainers vote for at the ballot box.
This Compact will only take effect, however, if the total number of electoral votes represented by the signatories is equal to or greater than 270, the threshold necessary for a candidate to win the presidency.
In a press release published Monday, Gov. Mills explained that she chose to allow the bill authorizing the Compact to take effect without her signature because she sees merit in the arguments both for and against the agreement but struggles with the idea of someone — “absent rank choice voting circumstances” — winning the presidency without also winning the popular vote.
She also noted in her statement that the “measure is not irreversible” and will only take effect if enough other states also opt to join the Compact.
The governor further suggested that she took this course of action because there has been a great deal of conversation surrounding the Compact both in Maine and nationwide that she would like to see continue.
“I have spent the past ten days carefully considering this bill, reviewing arguments both for and against it, considering written materials and listening to people from across Maine,” Mills wrote in a statement Monday.
“Opponents have raised legitimate questions about whether presidential candidates would want to visit Maine knowing that, under a winner-take-all system, their chance to win our electoral votes declines and, as a result, their time would be better spent elsewhere,” Mills explained.
“Proponents have pointed out that two of the last four presidents were elevated to the highest office in the land despite having the support of fewer Americans than their opponent and in four presidential elections since 1876, the winner lost the popular vote,” continued the governor.
“Some argue that this measure would dilute the influence of rural voters, although this measure ultimately would provide that each vote carries equal weight, whether the voter is a rural, urban or suburban resident, and thus create greater equity among voters,” said Mills. “I see merit to arguments on both sides.”
“I am also aware that enacting this measure is not irreversible and that it will not take effect until a number of other states with at least 61 cumulative electoral votes also approve the measure, and that it will have no effect on this year’s Presidential election,” she continued.
“While I recognize concerns about presidential candidates spending less time in Maine, it is also quite possible that candidates will spend more time in every state when every vote counts equally, and I struggle to reconcile the fact that a candidate who has fewer actual votes than their opponent can still become President of the United States,” Mills said.
“Absent a ranked choice voting circumstance, it seems to me that the person who wins the most votes should become the President,” wrote Mills. “To do otherwise seemingly runs counter to the democratic foundations of our country.”
“Still recognizing that there is merit to both sides of the argument, and recognizing that this measure has been the subject of public discussion several times before in Maine, I would like this important nationwide debate to continue and so I will allow this bill to become law without my signature,” the governor concluded.
Click Here to Read Gov. Mills’ Full Press Release
Earlier this month, House lawmakers approved the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact by a single-vote margin in a roll call vote of 73-72.
The next day, legislators in the Senate followed suit and passed the Compact in a largely-partisan roll call vote of 18-12.
Joining the majority of Republicans in opposition to the Compact were Sen. Jill Duson (D-Cumberland) and Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec).
Sen. Matt Pouliot (R-Kennebec) voted alongside the remaining Democrats in support of signing onto the Compact.
[RELATED: Maine Moves One Step Closer to Joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact]
Now that Maine is officially a part of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, the coalition represents a total of 209 electoral votes.
Among the states that have also signed the Compact are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhone Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Click Here for More Information on the Legislation Behind the Compact
We need to stop voting and start building communities that make government irrelevant. We as a people need to stand on our own and just ignore the politicians because they ignore us. Start using bitcoin for transactions in order to take money out of their pockets. Anyone here on Nostr?
More democrats acting like dictators, and just acting naive about it. How you can be the governor of a state and not understand how and why the electoral college exists is just dumbfounding and abound car you from office.
Janet Mills is just like that Governor who could have done the right thing, but instead washed her hands and did nothing. That Governor was Pontius Pilate
Maine has joined the list of other states run by progressives (meaning socialist/Marxist/communist) that have signed on to the Compact. That’s right up there with the idiotic Ranked Choice Voting scam. I have ZERO respect for these clowns, their clown show and their class clown, aka, Rachel Talbot Ross.
The last straw.
Most people don’t understand how bad this is. When the compact reaches 270 electoral votes all of the Progressive states will switch to popular vote simultaneously. This will negate ALL red states that operate as a Republic. We will then become a direct democracy which will lead to one party rule by the Democrats.
They are up to 208 out of the 270.
They have enough states right now to put it at 286 electoral votes. They are all just waiting for their Progressive Governors or a senate vote to enact it.
They are purposely not voting on it till we are closer to the election. If they do it right now, people will bring it to the Supreme Court. If they vote on it right before the election then Biden will win and we will be in a mess cause it would require the Supreme Court to rule on state election laws MONTHS after they elect a President and require the Supreme Court to remove Biden.
This is how Civil War would happen.
In layman’s terms “The law will only take effect if it helps elect a democrat.” This is a coup and the Maine government does not represent the people anymore.
…good-bye 2nd District, it was nice knowing you!
The picture above the article says it all. So what’s the point of voting? They take your vote and throw it out the window. Of course that’s what they want to do. Small population states become irrelevant.
Being from CD2, this will mean I have no representation, and therefor will consider myself free from State taxes. This is an absolute OUTRAGE, and every citizen north of Bangor should unite and let them know it. CD2 should secede from the communist State of Maine in Augusta.
Has our Governess ever attempted to read the Constitution of the United States of America? We are a Republic!
Again, when will the people of Maine wake up? You get what you vote for, and these people are true evil. They do not care about Maine and its people.
TRAITOR!
F-in Mills and her cronies in the legislature just turn over the vote of every man woman and child in ME. to Boston.
I pray that everyone that supports this B.S. lives a long, Long, LONG life in the world there are creating. Enjoy @$$holes.
I must congratulate the Governor, she has relegated Maine to the dustbin by this one foolish inaction. Maine along with Nebraska have had it right all along with a elector attached to a congressional district. This was the correct way and Janet got it all wrong!!!!
Unconstitutional and treasonous!
Now are votes really won’t count. We should be able to vote on this
What is the sense in voting? They will change your vote. The large states will decide the election for us. We will have no voice.
What will we do about it other than whine in the comment sections?