Maine is the latest to join an interstate compact to elect the president by popular vote
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine will be the latest to join a multi-state effort to elect the president by popular vote, with the Democratic governor announcing Monday that she will let the proposal become law without her signature.
Under the proposed pact, each state would allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote for president, regardless of how individual states voted in elections.
Gov. Janet Mills said she understands there are several facets to the debate. Opponents point out that the role of small states like Maine could diminish if the Electoral College ends, while proponents point out that two of the last four presidents were elected through the electoral college system, despite losing the national popular vote.
Without a ranked voting system, Mills said she believes “the person who wins the most votes should become the president. To act otherwise is apparently contrary to the democratic foundations of our country.”
“Still, recognizing that there are merits to both sides of the argument, and recognizing that this measure has been the subject of public discussion in Maine several times before, I would like to see this important national debate continue and therefore I will allow this bill is passed. become law without my signature,” the governor said in a statement.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is on hold for now – and will play no role in the upcoming November elections.
The pact would only take effect if its supporters receive commitments from states with at least 270 electoral votes. Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have joined the pact and the addition of Maine would bring the total to 209, the governor said. Other hurdles include whether congressional approval is needed to implement the pact.
In Maine, one of only two states to apportion their electoral votes under the current system, the debate in the Maine Legislature was along partisan lines, with Republicans united in opposition.
Maine awards two of the four electoral votes to the statewide presidential winner, along with one vote for the winner of each congressional district. The state split its electoral votes for the first time in 2016 when Republican Donald Trump won a single electoral vote in the northern, conservative 2nd Congressional District. Trump collected another electoral vote during his failed 2020 presidential bid.