National Popular Vote bill passes House, tabled ahead of Senate vote

One chamber of the Legislature passed a bill this week that would award Maine’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most national popular support — although the change wouldn’t take effect unless more states approve the reform. 

LD 1578, sponsored by Rep. Arthur Bell (D-Yarmouth), 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.

Maine is again considering joining movement to elect U.S. president by national popular vote

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 ultimately clears the Legislature and is 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 bill was passed on a 74-67 vote in the House on Tuesday, with Democrats largely supporting the measure. 

Republicans — who hold an advantage under the current electoral college landscape, according to the Cook Political Report — criticized the reform, saying the present system helps Maine’s votes matter more. 

“The state of Maine has the gold standard of electoral processes,” said House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor), referring to the state’s practice of giving an electoral vote to the winners of its congressional districts. “We should be telling other states to elect the way we do, not giving our votes away to be absorbed by bigger states.” 

However, Democrats argued that the reform would force candidates to focus their attention on places beyond the small number of swing states that typically decide presidential elections. Data shows just 12 states received the vast majority of campaign visits by presidential candidates in the 2020 election. 

After the House vote, LD 1578 advanced to the Senate. However, on Wednesday, Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) moved the “ought not to pass” committee report and then motioned to table the bill, meaning it will be taken up at a later date. 

Hickman did not respond to a request for comment about his reasoning for that motion, although when the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee considered the bill last month, he pushed for a version that would give voters the final say by putting the reform on the ballot in November. 

This legislative session isn’t the first time Maine lawmakers have taken up a national popular vote compact bill. In 2019, the House voted down a similar initiative, with some Democrats joining with Republicans to oppose the measure.