The electors in most states are not bound by law to vote according to the results of the elections as is already. The electors could just do this without legislation.
this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2026
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If this passes, my bet is on the two party system becoming a distant memory very quickly.
This is what we need.
Come on America, despite the horrors we see now this is our chance to make things right and show the world that we actually intend to become the country we’ve always pretended to be. Let’s show the world how to rise up, break free of our shackles, and create a society that takes care of each other and our planet.
The cause behind the two party stranglehold is the first past the post system, not the electoral college or voting districts or anything like that (Duverger's law). Choosing the president by popular vote will be great, but it won't solve that.
I don’t think the popular vote compact would diminish the two parties.
As far as I understand it the compact says all the states in the compact will pledge their electoral college electors to the popular vote winner.
The popular vote winner is still just the candidate with the most votes nationally so all the incentives and structures that lead to two parties are still at play.
Third parties are suppressed in a winner take all system largely due to the spoiler effect, a smaller third party pulls votes from a larger party.
Voters would still be incentivized to vote for one of the two major parties witb the same logic as today, a vote for a third party has little chance of winning and so it largely has the effect of denying a vote to the major party you would most align with.
To be clear, I think the way we’ve arranged democracy in America is quite stupid and mathematically guarantees a duopoly of parties both of which become enmeshed with and captured by the donor class. A popular vote compact is better than the goofy electoral college, I just don’t think it really does anything to break the grip of the two party system.
It wouldn't change any of the gerrymandering in the house, and the senate is gerrymandered by its very nature at the country level, why would it change the two party system?
Your point is valid, my hope is that a popular choice would have a wide ranging effect to de-incentivize the current two party system beyond the presidential elections. It could also help push similar legislation beyond presidential elections.
Again, this is my hope -
It could also help push similar legislation beyond presidential elections.
That's actually pretty fair. Hey, we didn't destroy the country... maybe we can try other changes to fix other areas.
We gotta try something, and many other things too. Not trying is a big part of why we’re in this mess.
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Umm... hold on, did something good just happen?
Per the description in the post.
The compact takes effect when states representing a majority of electoral votes – 270 of 538 – pass the legislation and thus would determine the winner of the presidential contest. With Virginia, the compact now has 222 electors.
In other words, they need additional states with a combined total of at least 48 electoral votes to pass the legislation in order for it to take effect. So they're closer, but nothing has happened quite yet.
Not yet, but it's getting closer to actually happening. It is at a minimum not a bad thing.
Right? I'm so thrown off.
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Maybe one day they'll be a democracy, but I don't think the ruling class will allow it
I hope it accounts for what happens if those States’ votes equal/exceed 270 at one time but then electoral fuckery occurs and they drop below that number due to their bullshit census tallies. Because we all know Repubs will pull it in a heartbeat.
Yeah, the only way the compact survives is if it would not have affected the outcome of an election. If it will have an effect, every red state in the compact will have legislation on the governor's desk by election day, calling for the immediate withdrawal from the compact, before the EC meets. That legislation will be wildly popular among the voters of those states.
Take a guess at how many red states have signed onto the compact at this point. It's zero, exactly zero red states have signed on to this.
IIRC, a few swing states have signed on. I'd count them as red for these purposes. But yeah, to make this work, they're going to need several red states that they aren't going to get.
Am I reading this correctly, 17 States have already banded together to end first-past-the-post voting for POTUS?
It does not end first past the post voting. If it went into effect it would essentially mean that the popular vote would determine the outcome of the presidential election, by forcing the electoral college results to match. The popular vote would still be first past the post.
This only affects Maine and Nebraska who split electoral college votes though yes? It ensures the popular vote takes all, but that already happens almost everywhere?
No, these states agree to commit their electors to the winner of the national popular vote. This would make it impossible for one candidate to win the election having lost the national popular vote.
Ah I see, that's a huge deal then
Nah. This will solve electoral college in maybe 50 years.
We'll fix first past the post in maybe 250 years.
My vote doesn’t matter as I’m from a state that has been democratic since I was born.
With the compact taking effect, your vote would matter again, every vote would matter.
well make sure it stays that way.
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