Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement to award all Electoral College votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and D.C., reports NBC.
Colorado is the latest state to pass legislation to allot the votes, though the pact won’t take effect until enough states have committed to reach 270 electoral votes – the number required to win the president.
Sylvia Bernstein, the coalition coordinator for the Yes on National Popular Vote campaign, told NBC News joining the agreement is a no-brainer.
“It shouldn't be a partisan issue,” Bernstein said. “The reason why people should support the national popular vote is pretty simple. … The candidate with the most votes should win, just the way it happens in every other election in this country.”
Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden has, so far, gained the most votes in the 2020 election, leading President Donald Trump by nearly 5 million votes. Hillary Clinton in 2016 received almost three million more votes in the general election than Trump.
Many news outlets have called the race for the former vice president, though Trump refuses to concede.
Newsmax, citing close races in several battleground states, has yet to declare a winner.
"The Electoral College was put in place specifically to guard against large, more powerful states to give an equal voice to the more rural, less populated states," Augusta University professor Craig Albert told VERIFY.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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