Mainers are divided over the Legislature’s decision to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact — as well as with respect to the state’s current method of distributing its electoral votes — according to the Pine Tree State Poll, a States of Opinion Project conducted by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Survey Center.
This Compact approved by Maine lawmakers earlier this year will only be implemented 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.
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.
[RELATED: Maine Joins the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact]
While 35 percent of Mainers indicated support for the state’s decision to join this Compact, 37 percent expressed opposition.
When broken down by party identification, however, a stark divide emerges, with 69 percent of Democrats supporting the Compact and 73 percent of Republicans opposing it.
Among Independents, a plurality of 43 percent expressed opposition to Maine’s decision to join the Compact, compared to just 16 percent that supported it. 33 percent of Independents said they felt neutral about it.
Mainers in the First and Second Congressional Districts also had noticeably different opinions regarding the state’s decision to join the Compact.
While 41 percent of District 2 residents were either somewhat or strongly opposed to the Compact, roughly the same percentage (43 percent) of District 1 residents said that they were in support of it
Just 27 percent of Mainers in the Second District indicated that they were either somewhat or strongly supportive of Maine’s participation in the Compact.
Respondents were also asked about their preferred method for distributing Maine’s electoral votes among presidential candidates.
Maine is currently one of two states — the other being Nebraska — to distribute their electoral votes based on congressional districts.
Under this system, the winner of each district is awarded one electoral vote, and the overall winner is awarded two statewide electoral votes.
Less than half of all Mainers (48 percent) indicated that they would like to continue utilizing this system, while 37 percent who said they would prefer switching to the winner-take-all method used throughout the rest of the country.
Democrats were less favorable toward Maine’s current system, with just 33 percent saying that they would like to see the state continue awarding electoral votes with this method, compared to 63 percent of Republicans and 50 percent of Independents.
Mainers in the Second District are also more supportive of maintaining the current method of electoral vote distribution compared to those in First District.
While 53 percent of Second District respondents expressed support for the district-based allocation method, just 42 percent of those in the First District said the same.
