Again today, more than a month after the election, the national news brims with stories about lawsuits and recounts. Folks are disputing the outcome of the presidential election in a handful of states where Joe Biden leads by a small margin – just 11,779 votes in Georgia, for example.
Meanwhile, nationally, Biden leads by more than 7 million votes.
If the national popular vote were used to identify the winner of presidential elections, the outcome would be clear right away. No confusion, no delays, no lawyers.
In our current system, each state awards all (or in Maine’s case, most) of its Electoral College votes to the winner of that state. This amplifies close races consumed by challenges and disputes. But with a margin of more than 7 million popular votes, why should it matter if the second-place finisher lost by only 11,779 votes in Georgia?
In a representative democracy, I expect my vote in Maine to count just as much as each one of those 11,779 votes in Georgia. That’s why I support the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, in which states agree to award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. I believe our president should be the person who wins the most votes across all 50 states and D.C.
Marna Miller
Falmouth
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