By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Virginia lawmakers are considering whether the commonwealth should join a multistate agreement that would tie its presidential electoral votes to the national popular vote.
The proposal is known as the National Popular Vote Compact. States that join agree to award their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes nationwide, rather than the candidate who wins their individual state.
The agreement would not take effect until participating states control at least 270 electoral votes, the number needed to win the presidency. Until that threshold is reached, states would continue awarding electors under existing law.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have enacted the compact so far, representing 209 electoral votes.
Senate Bill 322 on Monday passed 21-19, with Democrats in support and Republicans opposed.
The House Privileges and Elections Committee advanced companion measure House Bill 965 on Friday 14-8. The legislation now heads to the full House of Delegates.
If Virginia were to join, its 13 electoral votes would raise the compact’s total to 222, still short of the number needed for it to take effect.
Supporters of the proposal say it would make every vote count equally across the country and reduce the focus presidential campaigns place on a small number of battleground states.
Republican leaders have raised concerns about how the proposal would shift control over Virginia’s electoral votes.
“Republicans certainly understand the impetus behind this, but the underlying facts give many of them a reason to pause,” said J. Garren Shipley, communications director for House Republican Leader Terry Kilgore.
“Virginians need to decide who wins Virginia’s 13 electoral votes,” Shipley said.
He added that if the compact had been in place during the 2024 election, Virginia’s electoral votes would have gone to President Donald Trump rather than Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I’m doubtful that would have been an acceptable outcome to many of those who have supported this legislation,” Shipley said.
Under the compact, Virginia voters would still cast ballots as they do now, and local election officials would continue counting and certifying results under state law. After certification, participating states would compare results to determine the national popular vote winner, and governors would certify electors accordingly.
The agreement also limits when a state can withdraw, barring a state from exiting within six months of the end of a presidential term.
HB965 awaits a vote in the full House. SB322 has already crossed over for further consideration.
