Letter to the Editor: Michigan should join National Popular Vote Compact

To the Editor:

The Michigan State Legislature has the opportunity to act right now to ensure that presidential elections will be governed by the “one person, one vote” system. They can vote to join the National Popular Vote Compact. This action would mean that whoever wins the national popular vote will win the election. Currently, in many states—including Michigan—we have a winner-take-all system: Whichever candidate wins the most votes in Michigan gets all of Michigan’s electors. This system means that the candidate with the most popular votes in the country might not win the election, which has happened five times. 

A second problem with the state-by-state, winner-take-all system is that a small number of battleground states can determine who becomes president. This leads to a third problem: these purple battleground states get special attention from campaigns and incumbent presidents. A large number of remaining states become just spectators. Candidates do not visit these states which means that their residents do not have “on-the-ground” opportunities such as rallies, forums, and town halls, where candidates can interact directly with voters.

This happens because presidential campaigns actually ignore 70% of American voters. Battleground states get special favors, i.e., money, from the federal government even between presidential elections. As a result, voters in these states that are ignored are not as likely to engage in the voting process. A vibrant democracy should seek to engage all citizens. 

The National Popular Vote does not require a change to the Constitution. The Constitution already gives the states the power to assign their electors. The National Popular Vote Compact awards all of the state’s electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in the entire nation.  Every voter’s vote counts. This is how our other elections work—state elections, municipal elections, school board elections. One person, one vote.  

The National Popular Vote Compact means that presidential candidates will need to pay attention to all states across the country and not just battleground states, and it means that the candidate who wins the popular vote, wins the election. 

The National Popular Vote Compact has bipartisan support including conservatives (www.conservativesfornationalpopularvote.com). It has the support of non-partisan groups including The League of Women Voters and Voters Not Politicians. Michigan should vote to join the National Popular Vote Compact.

Naomi Ludman 
Dowagiac 


Any views or opinions expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.