AFPI Releases Issue Brief on The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and Its Negative Implications

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released a new issue brief, The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact: No Checks, Just Imbalances, under AFPI’s Election Integrity Initiative. This brief examines the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), an agreement that would require participating states to award their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote, regardless of which candidate won that individual state.

The brief argues that the NPVIC would undermine the Electoral College’s role in balancing the interests of states and would potentially disenfranchise voters by allowing a state’s electoral votes to go to a candidate who lost that state’s popular vote. The brief also examines constitutional concerns surrounding the Compact and the potential impact on rural communities and election administration.

“The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would fundamentally change how Americans elect their president while allowing states to bypass the constitutional structure designed to balance power among the states,” said Anna Pingel, AFPI’s Deputy Director for Secure Elections policy. “Under the Compact, voters could overwhelmingly choose one candidate in their state, only to see their electoral votes awarded to the candidate who won somewhere else. Americans deserve an electoral system that preserves the voice of their own state’s voters.”

“The Electoral College ensures that presidential candidates have to build support across the country, including in rural communities and smaller states,” said Nicholas Wanic, Attorney for AFPI’s Center for Litigation. “The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would instead incentivize campaigns to concentrate their time and resources in the largest population centers, leaving rural America with less influence over presidential elections.”

The brief concludes that states should reject efforts to join the NPVIC and that states already participating in the Compact should consider withdrawing. The Compact currently has signatures from states representing 222 electoral votes and would require 270 to take effect.

To read the full brief, click here.