The Maine state House on Tuesday narrowly approved joining the National Popular Interstate Vote Compact, the decades-long effort to circumvent the Electoral College by binding states’ electors to the popular vote nationally irrespective of its own result, the Bangor Daily News reports.
Five Dems joined all Republicans in opposing the bill for the 74-67 vote, but the House was the biggest hurdle given the blue state Senate and Dem Governor Janet Mills, leaving little doubt that Maine will soon add four votes to the NPVIC’s current 205 total from bound states. Immediately winnable for the NPVIC is Michigan’s 15 electoral votes and, given their trifecta, Dems there need to get on it yesterday. Possibly on the table within the next decade or so are Pennsylvania (19), Nevada (6), Virginia (13), and either Arizona (11) or Wisconsin (10) as the final state to 270.
Meaning don’t bet against the effective end of the Electoral College by 2040. It’s been a fucking slog but it is well within reach to end the antiquated madness of it once and for all.