A Hillary Clinton supporter holds an electoral map on election night at the Javits Center in New York City, November 8, 2016. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
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May 22 (UPI) -- Nevada is set to become the 15th state to buck the Electoral College and award their votes to the presidential winner of the national popular vote.
Nevada lawmakers have passed the bill, and it now goes to Gov. Steve Sisolak. If he signs it, Nevada would become the 15th state to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and award its electoral votes to the winner of the U.S. popular vote rather than the winner of the state's popular vote. Nevada has six electoral votes in presidential elections.
The measure passed the Senate 12-8 Tuesday and the Assembly in April. Sisolak, a Democratic governor, has not said whether he'll sign it.
The other states in the pact are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Mexico and Washington. Washington, D.C., has also joined.
Right now, the pact has a combined 189 electoral votes -- and 270 are needed to win the presidency. Maine is considering a similar bill.
President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 despite trailing Hillary Clinton in the national popular vote by nearly 3 million ballots.
Recent surveys have shown many Americans prefer to elect presidents with the popular vote. To make the switch, however, the U.S. Constitution would need an amendment.
