Overview
- Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation adding the state to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, bringing membership to 19 jurisdictions controlling 222 electoral votes and leaving the pact inactive until it reaches 270.
- The compact is a state agreement that would award participating states’ electors to the candidate who wins the most votes nationwide, even if that candidate loses in a given member state.
- Opponents in the coverage call the plan a workaround of the Constitution’s design for picking presidents and predict a Supreme Court fight if the agreement activates at 270 electoral votes.
- Critics highlight uneven election rules among states in the pact, pointing to limited voter ID checks, heavy use of mail ballots, and practices like ballot collection as risks if a single national tally decides electors.
- Commentary outlines a possible path to activation through additional Democratic-leaning states, noting that wins that produce party control in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania and a move by Nevada could push the total over 270.