Colorado Moves Toward the National Popular Vote

Update January 29th, 2019: On Monday the state senate approved the bill.

On Wednesday, the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee at the state legislature approved by a 3 to 2 vote, Senate Bill 42. That is an agreement among the states to elect the President by national popular vote.  The legislation is an effort to have Colorado sign up to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

This isn’t the first time Colorado lawmakers have tried to advance this issue. Joe Richey spoke with Joe Miklosi, a former Colorado state representative turned advocate and consultant to push the national popular vote, who was involved in previous efforts to get similar legislation passed.  The bill now heads to the State Senate for a vote.

Miklosi says the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact has been introduced in Colorado 3 previous times. “It started in 2006 when we were the first state in the country to host a legislative discussion about national popular vote. At that time it was introduced by late state senator Ken Gordon of Denver.”

11 other states and the District of Colombia have adopted similar national vote legislation. Colorado and 6 other states including Nevada, Maine and Michigan are expected to join the National Popular Vote Compact which would go into effect before the 2024 presidential election.

Senator Mike Foote (D) from Lafayette, who is chair of the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, introduced the legislation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download