Nevada Senate passes bill that would give Electoral College votes to winner of national popular vote

The Nevada Senate passed a bill that would give the state’s Electoral College votes to the winner of the presidential election’s national popular vote, sending the legislation to the desk of Gov. Steve Sisolak (D).

The state Senate passed the measure on a 12-8 vote on Tuesday, CNN reported.

If Sisolak signs the measure into law, Nevada would become the latest state to join the National Popular Vote interstate compact, an agreement among a number of states to give their Electoral College votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the popular vote.

{mosads}Currently, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to join the pact, which will only take effect if a number of states holding the majority of the Electoral College’s 538 electoral votes join the agreement. 

The total is currently at 189, and Nevada’s six electoral votes would boost the number to 195, CNN noted.

Lawmakers in Maine passed a similar bill earlier this month and it currently waits to either be signed or vetoed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D). 

There have only been five instances where a presidential candidate has been elected without winning the popular vote since the Electoral College was created in 1787.

Most recently, President Trump won office in the 2016 election after losing the popular vote to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. However, Trump won the election by securing 304 electoral votes.