The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Debate on National Popular Vote Compact continues
HARTFORD — After gaining the support of Democratic leadership in February, a proposal to give all of Connecticut’s electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote got similar support from the public and other elected officials.
Connecticut’s top elections official, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill on Monday testified in favor of the “one person, one vote” initiative, along with many local activists.
However Republicans on the Government Administration and Elections Committee disagreed. Republicans Sen. Michael McLachlan of Danbury, a committee chair, Rep. Laura Devlin of Fairfield and Rep. Robert Sampson of Wolcott praised the current electoral college system.
“It is amazing how the electoral college has performed and outperformed as our country has grown,” McLachlan said.
Barry Fadem, president of the nonprofit National Popular Vote Inc., argued that Connecticut should no longer be a “spectator state” in presidential elections.
Joining the compact would drive up voter participation, bring more presidential candidate visits, television and radio advertisements to the state and reduce the influence of battleground states, both before and after elections, he said.
Meanwhile, critics on Monday said the United States was founded as a republic, not a direct democracy, for a reason.
Among them was Tara Ross, author of a book in support of the electoral college and the lone voice testifying against the compact in person, who said the electoral college encourages “coalition building,” because candidates have to win votes in states across the nation, not just areas of high population density.
If Connecticut signed on, the state would become the 11th to join. The compact only becomes active if enough states with a total of more than 270 electoral votes — a majority of those available — participate.
The committee is expected to vote on the proposal by the end of the month.