This year, the Maine Legislature is again considering joining the National Popular Vote Compact. NPV will ensure that all votes for president are counted equally, and will change presidential campaigning, which today focuses exclusively on 12 battleground states.
Many Mainers are concerned that small states will lose our influence on elections, should we change how we vote for president to follow the national popular vote. But the data show that half of small states are reliably voting Democratic, and half are voting Republican. Given this, small states are overlooked today by candidates.
Other Mainers feel that adopting the national popular vote would mean that candidates will only campaign in cities. Facts do not prove this out. Nationwide, the number of Americans living in cities is about equal to those Americans in rural areas, which will mean that rural America is important to a candidate’s success. Furthermore, today, in battleground states, candidates visit cities of all sizes and rural areas with the same frequency. (See nationalpopularvote.com.)
We are looking for volunteers to reach out to our Maine House and Senate members to express support for the National Popular Vote bill. Go to lwvme.org/NPV for more information.
Margo Donnis
South Portland
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