Compact seeks to use popular vote

WE SHOULD elect our president the way we elect every other public office — the person with the most votes wins. However, five times in U.S. history, the candidate with the most votes failed to win the presidency.

The nonpartisan National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will ensure that the winner of the national popular vote is elected president. States that enter into the compact agree to award their electoral college votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote. The compact is consistent with the Constitution, does not abolish the electoral college and preserves states’ authority over elections. The compact would only be enacted when enough states join to reach the 270 electoral college vote threshold needed to elect a president.

Currently, both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates spend most of their time and money addressing the concerns of about 10 “battleground” states, which contain only 25 percent of the U.S. population. The rest of us are largely ignored by the candidates. Shouldn’t presidential candidates address the concerns of all voters and not just the ones in the “battleground” states? With the compact in place, every state would matter.

Ten states and the District of Columbia have already passed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, totaling 165 electoral votes — more than 60 percent of the 270 needed to enact the compact. New Mexico came very close to passing it during the 2017 legislative session. We will have another chance to pass it in 2019.

We can work together to achieve “one person, one vote,” which is at the heart of our democracy. Contact your New Mexico state senator and representative and strongly urge them to support the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in the next legislative session.

For more information about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, go to: nationalpopularvote.com

RAYELLEN SMITH President, Indivisible Nob Hill, Albuquerque

Amy Gonzalez Member, Indivisible Nob Hill, Albuquerque