Maine is set to become the latest state to join a multistate effort aimed at electing the president by popular vote. The Democratic governor announced on Monday that she will allow the proposal to become law without her signature. Under the proposed National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, each state would allocate all its electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote for president, regardless of individual state results.
However, the compact will not impact the upcoming November election as it is currently on hold. Governor Janet Mills acknowledged the various perspectives in the debate surrounding the compact. Opponents argue that small states like Maine could lose influence if the electoral college system is eliminated, while proponents highlight instances where presidents were elected despite losing the popular vote.
Without a ranked voting system, Governor Mills believes that the candidate with the most votes should become the president to uphold democratic principles. She expressed her desire for the nationwide debate on this issue to continue and hence decided to let the bill become law without her signature.
The compact will only take effect if states with a total of at least 270 electoral votes join. Currently, 16 states and Washington, D.C. have signed on, with Maine's inclusion bringing the total to 209. There are also questions about whether congressional approval is required to implement the compact.
In Maine, where electoral votes are split, the debate in the state legislature largely followed party lines, with Republicans opposing the measure. Maine awards two of its four electoral votes to the statewide winner and one each to the winners of its congressional districts. In 2016, the state split its electoral votes for the first time when Donald Trump won a single electoral vote in the conservative 2nd Congressional District. Trump repeated this feat in the 2020 election despite losing the popular vote.
