Lawmakers back reform as Maine poised to join National Popular Vote movement

Both chambers of the Maine Legislature have now passed a bill that would award the state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most national popular support — although the change won’t take effect unless more states approve the reform. 

The Maine Senate on Wednesday approved LD 1578, sponsored by Rep. Arthur Bell (D-Yarmouth), on a 22-13 vote — and the House passed the bill earlier this month. The bill faces subsequent votes in each chamber. 

The measure would adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in Maine. States that are part of the compact pledge their electoral college votes to the presidential candidate with the most overall votes across the country. 

The compact would not abolish the Electoral College, the current way the president is elected. Under that system, each state is given a number of electoral votes equal to how many members of Congress it has, and a candidate wins once they earn 270 electoral votes. Maine has four electoral votes.

Because the compact would only take effect once states with a total of 270 electoral college votes have joined, if implemented, the agreement would guarantee that the winner of the national popular vote would be elected president. The reform seeks to avoid situations like the 2016 election, when Donald Trump was elevated to the presidency despite winning fewer overall votes than Hillary Clinton. 

If LD 1578 is ultimately signed by Gov. Janet Mills, Maine would become the 17th state to ratify the national popular vote agreement, giving the compact a total of 209 electoral votes out of the 270 needed for enactment. 

The measure spurred a vigorous debate in the Senate on Wednesday, with most Democrats — except Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) — ultimately supporting the measure and most Republicans — except Sen. Matt Pouliot (K-Kennebec) — opposing it.  

Critics of the legislation, such as Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin), said the current system provides smaller states like Maine with more voting power than a simple national popular vote system would. Passing the bill would dilute Mainers’ influence in the presidential election and lead to a situation in which candidates prioritize large population centers during their campaigns, he said. 

Brakey also criticized the process for trying to approve the compact, arguing that supporters of moving to a national popular vote should instead seek to pass a constitutional amendment. 

“[My] concerns include the further disillusion of our state’s sovereignty, the minimization of the voice of the Maine people and the unmitigated logistical chaos this legislation would unleash on our country,” Brakey said.  

However, Sen. Nicole Grohoski (D-Hancock) said she doesn’t believe certain people’s votes should count any more than others. 

“I for one believe that my vote is not worth more, nor is it worth less, than any other adult American who exercises their right to vote regardless of which U.S. state that they happen to live in,” she said. 

Other supporters, such as Senate Assistant Majority Leader Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland), argued that it makes sense to update a system created during the founding of the country given that the United States has changed vastly over that time. 

Daughtry said one person’s vote should count just as much as the next persons, and that under the current system, many people feel their votes don’t matter because their states are considered safe Democratic or Republican states under the Electoral College. 

Critics of the current structure have also pointed out that just 12 states received the vast majority of campaign visits by presidential candidates in the 2020 election because those swing states typically control the outcome of the presidential election. 

Furthermore, Republicans hold an advantage under the current electoral college landscape, according to the Cook Political Report.