The United States is one state closer to a popular vote for presidential elections.

Our country is now closer than ever to reforming the electoral college in favor of a “one person, one vote” system for presidential elections. New York joined 10 other states and the District of Columbia in joining an interstate compact that would require the state’s electors to cast ballots in favor of the winner of the popular vote. Traditionally, the electors of the Electoral College cast all their ballots in favor of the winner of the vote in their state. This interstate compact circumvents the antiquated tradition by forming a binding agreement between the states to require the electors to cast their ballots in favor of the popular winner.

If all the states join this compact, it could change our national elections forever. As it stands, the vast majority of presidential campaign spending is dedicated to “Battleground States” that tend to switch between blue and red in each cycle. Large states such as California and New York are ignored by the candidates because they are considered “safe” or “spectator” states as they consistently vote for Democratic candidates. With a popular vote, candidates would be forced to fight for votes in every state. A large Republican minority in California or Democratic minority in Texas could now impact the outcome of an election.

Furthermore, voter turnout in battleground states consistently outperforms spectator states because of the extra attention they receive from the candidates. A popular vote could increase voter participation in all states because each vote would impact the outcome of the election.

Should all the states join this compact, we can expect a constitutional challenge likely headed for the Supreme Court. However, the Constitution gives little guidance on the proper form of the Electoral College and leaves that discretion seemingly up to the states’ legislatures entirely. It is hard to see anything explicitly unconstitutional about such an interstate compact. Interstate compacts in general are constitutional and common.

For more information, check out this story from DemocracyNOW!

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/17/fixing_the_electoral_college_new_york?autostart=true