Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz broke the first rule of the Harris-Waltz campaign. In other words, he told the truth about his policy goals.
“The Electoral College needs to be abolished. We need a national popular vote,” Walz told California Democrats last Tuesday, in Seattle earlier in the day. called myself “National Popularity Vote Person in Charge”
Walz’s clear statement sent the campaign into crisis mode, with spokesperson Teddy Chan saying: claim: “Governor Walz believes that every vote counts in the Electoral College.” The New York Times notes that Kamala Harris has previously been “open to abolishing” the Electoral College. “During this election campaign, he avoided taking ambitious positions that would overturn the American political system.”
But Waltz’s record speaks for itself. Just last year, as governor of Minnesota, he signed This law included the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which aimed to override the Electoral College.
The NPV agreement changes the way states select presidential electors based on the national popular vote, rather than the popular vote in each state. The purpose is to force the Electoral College to: rubber stamp These are the results of the national popularity vote.
Minnesota was 16th.th When Walz signed the agreement last year, the state was also included, making Maine the 17th state to do so.th this year. Other states joining the anti-Electoral College club include New York, Illinois, and, of course, California.
The NPV agreement has a “trigger” that goes into effect if states that jointly control at least 270 electors join. The states currently participating in the agreement have 209 electors. If a few more people join, 2024 could be the last election in which the Electoral College functions as intended.
Abolishing the Electoral College would be a disaster, but Walz’s hidden plan is especially dangerous. Constitutional reform is a multi-step process, requiring supermajorities in both Congress and the states. The NPV agreement could go into effect if fewer than half of the states pass it.
NPV agreements raise fundamental questions. Is it fair to combine popular votes from states with vastly different electoral processes? What if states? not completed Are all votes counted on time? How will a national recount work? What about conflict Ranked voting or NPV? (Related: Trent England: Billionaire promotes ranked voting)
Currently, each state conducts its own elections. This means that the consequences of flawed policies and other election issues are contained within each state. Vermont allows felons voting from prisonHowever, this only affects the results in Vermont. If California lower the voting age Turn a blind eye when foreigners vote, or it will only affect the outcome in California.
Walz’s NPV plan would reward states with questionable policies or even illegal election practices by having their votes counted in the national tally, which would determine the outcome for the first time. Become.
The Electoral College provides checks and balances to presidential elections. Although larger states have more electoral votes, they have more limited power than smaller states. This restraint on large state power creates more political balance and forces each major party to reach beyond its base.
Because of the electoral college system, Democrats must appeal to voters in rural areas like Pennsylvania and small towns in Wisconsin. Therefore, Harris claims to love fracking, guns, and hunting. The symbol might be the Harris Walz campaign’s camouflage hat that appears in Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s bizarre Doritos video.
This helps make sense of Walz’s comments and the campaign’s rush to cover them up. Walz wants California donors to spend time with other Americans, people who actually own guns, hunt, and understand that fossil fuels are needed to power the American economy. He said he wants to change the rules so he can spend more time with them.
Politicians like Walz may benefit from a national popular vote system, but voters will be the losers. All Americans are better off because of the checks and balances in the Electoral College that protect elections and force both parties to build larger, broader coalitions. State legislatures should reject the NPV Compact, and states that participate in it, such as Minnesota, should abolish the NPV Compact.
Trent England is the founder and executive director of Save Our States. Safeguard: The story of the Electoral College.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
