Delaware gov signs bill awarding electoral votes to winner of national popular vote

Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) signed a bill that would give the state’s presidential electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, according to The Associated Press. 

In signing the bill, Delaware became the 13th state to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

{mosads}States that belong to the compact would award their electoral votes to whomever wins the popular vote nationally, regardless of the results in those individual states.

With the addition of Delaware, states that belong to the compact hold 184 electoral votes, still well short of the 270 needed for a candidate to ascend to the White House — which is also the threshold at which the pact takes effect.

The compact has so far been adopted by blue states, after Democrats won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College votes in 2000 and 2016.

Opponents of using the popular vote to elect presidents argue it would result in candidates catering to large cities and large states, which tend to have a bigger share of Democratic voters, ignoring smaller or rural areas.

President Trump this month voiced his opposition to using the popular vote to elect presidents, tweeting that “campaigning for the Popular Vote is much easier & different than campaigning for the Electoral College.” 

He added that “Cities would end up running the Country” without the Electoral College and that the current system “is far better for the U.S.A.”