Nevada could become the 15th state to ditch Electoral College

May 22, 2019

Nevada could become the 15th Democratic-leaning state to enact legislation that would allow its electoral votes to be allocated based on the winner of the national popular vote during a presidential election.

A proposal passed by the state Senate on Tuesday is now sitting in the desk of Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, who has not publicly indicated his position on the multi-state effort designed to make sure presidents are elected by the popular vote, rather than the tally of Electoral College votes. The Nevada Assembly approved the measure in April.

If signed into law, Nevada would join the so-called National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement between 14 states and the District of Columbia that seeks to ensure that the winner of the popular vote is elected president. The pact’s objective would only be achieved when the states that adopt the legislation collectively have 270 or more electoral votes.

So far, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state and the District of Columbia have signed up for the pact. The number of electoral votes between the group amounts to 189.

Citing the elections of President Trump and George W. Bush, who won the presidency while losing the popular vote in 2016 and 2000, many Democrats have advocated for a change to the way state electoral votes are bestowed.

Recently, some high-profile Democrats, including those vying for the party’s presidential nomination in 2020, have called for the complete abolition of the Electoral College, casting it as an archaic system antithetical to a more direct democracy.