HB1003 is a no brainer; I can't believe this notice of polling place changes isn't standard procedure already. Support HB1045 looks great as well, would be a huge step towards making elections more about who has the most popular ideas rather than who can raise the most money. Support HB375 is the main reason I'm commenting; the electoral college is outdated and provides voters in some states with much more power than others. Until the electoral college can be abolished by constitutional amendment, this compact is a great way of ensuring that ALL the people of this country choose its president, not just those in a few swing states. It saddens me to see how many people in the comments on this bill are against this common sense change. Major support SB270 is another no brainer; allowing voters to express their preferences beyond a winner take all system would be a huge win for democracy in the state of Virginia. Support

I am writing to urge you to vote against HB 375 and protect the Electoral College for presidential elections. The NPV Compact is an attempt to circumvent the Constitution, letting fewer than 20 states determine the results of our elections. Protect the rights of less populated states to have their voices heard. The links below shows the outsize effect that densely populated areas would have on the rest of the US https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/visualisation-the-extreme-variations-of-new-york-population-density/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/visualisation-the-extreme-variations-of-new-york-population-density/

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact disenfranchises Virginia voters by automatically giving all electors to the Presidential candidate who receives the most votes nationwide, regardless of the preference of state citizens. For example, if the majority of Virginians voted for Joe Biden, but Donald Trump received more popular votes, all Virginia electors would be given to Trump. This would be very hard to explain to your constituents who are probably unaware of the compact, and its binding nature. Also, NPVIC supporters have emphasized that, once the compact reaches 270 electoral votes, the electors from other states are "not needed". (See attached screenshot from their site.) In today's Supreme Court hearing, Justice Kagan expressed great skepticism about whether a state should have the power to decide an election on behalf of the entire nation. In a similar vein, the NPVIC member states would determine Presidential election results, rendering the votes of all non-compact states irrelevant. This would result in significant legal challenges to the election. The NPVIC is flawed and dangerous legislation. Please vote to defer HB-375. Thank you.

I consider HB375 to be a very dangerous bill that if passed would cause severe damage to our democracy here not only in Virginia but in the entire United States. The only voters who would benefit from HB375 would be the voters in the inner cities of large metropolitan areas. It is no surprise to me that liberals are pushing for the National Popular Vote, as they have for many decades now been doing very well in elections in the very large cities and have controlled many of them for the last three or four decades now at least. The only reason that they want to abandon the system that our very wise founding fathers created is because they would immediately stand to gain by doing away with the electoral college, for the time being. Our founding fathers created the electoral college system to create a more fair and balanced voting system that allowed all states to have an equal say in any National election. An election based on NPV would give an unfair advantage to cities such as New York and Los Angeles, among others like them. It would also give a very unfair advantage to heavily populated areas and cities like the ones that I mentioned over all of the rural areas of the country. States like Wyoming and Alaska would virtually have no representation or say in an election at all. Even here in Virginia, most voters would be disenfranchised in a National election. Please think about the damage this bill would do and all of the disenfranchisement that it would cause if it is passed. I don't like the idea of allowing New York and Los Angeles and a couple of other cities to decide virtually all of our National elections, but that is exactly what will happen if this bill is ever passed and gains enough support. Vote against it if you really support our Republic.

Our country is a republic ( reference the constitution) and the electoral college promotes a republic. All states are and should be equally heard. Popular vote simply promotes numbers . High population areas would have too much influence over national elections. All states should be represented equally. In the senate they are and in the House there are provisions for population by adding reps. National Popular Vote is another socialist plan for the downfall of our Republic. Please see this for what it is and protect our country and our Constitution.

Please stop destroying our country and our election system. It was meticulously well thought out and has worked flawlessly for over two hundred years. There is a reason we have the electoral college, and it is an extremely important tool in promoting fairness in our election system. I'm 47 years old, and I had never heard anyone ever criticize it until the election of 2016. That was the first time in my life I ever heard anyone criticize the electoral college, and to be completely honest, the only reason they criticized it then is because they lost. You lose one election and you want to upend over two hundred years of problem free voting to contort the system to your favor. Honestly most Americans want stricter rules for voting. No one asked for electronic voting machines, they were more or less imposed upon us without our input. We need to go back to paper ballots, one day voting, voter I.D., and the tried & true electoral college system, and we're good. If you want to instill trust in the system, you need simplicity & transparency. It's just that simple. Thank you and good day.

Please OPPOSE HB375 and keep Virginia out of the NPV compact so that Virginia's voters keep our own voice rather than surrendering it to more populous states like NY, CA and TX, The American Founders considered, and, in their wisdom, rejected a national popular vote because it would lack checks and balances to protect minority rights and limit corruption. You should respect their wisdom and review their extensive deliberations rather than rushing into making partisan-monitivated mistakes that will hurt Virginia.

Virginia Electors should be the electors of the majority of Virginia voters not part of some national popular vote, otherwise Virginians are being disenfranchised by large states.

Virginia would lose its unique voice with NPV. The Electoral College turns swing states into microcosms of America, where candidates are forced to go beyond the big cities and reach out to all kinds of people. NPV would allow a candidate to win without any sort of majority, encouraging more candidates to run and thus ensuring that future Presidents get elected with smaller and smaller pluralities. NPV leaves the Electoral College structure in place but eliminates its effects thus doing away with its benefits. This would lead to uncertainty, instability, and a constitutional crisis. The American Founders considered and rejected a national popular vote because it would lack checks and balances to protect minority rights and limit corruption.

Please protect SW Virginis from the mob rule which popular vote only would inflict upon us and the biggest part of the state. The founding fathers knew what was best for our republic.

If the Electoral College is removed, we are no longer a democratic republic. The Electoral College forces candidates to go beyond the big cities and reach out to all kinds of people. Virginia would give up some of its sovereignty by becoming part of an interstate compact that would determine who is elected president. NPV essentially destroys the Constitutional process by bypassing it. The Electoral College keeps individual states in charge of elections. NPV would allow a candidate to win without any sort of majority, encouraging more candidates to run and thus ensuring that future Presidents get elected with smaller and smaller pluralities. NPV leaves the Electoral College structure in place but eliminates its effects thus doing away with its benefits. This would lead to uncertainty, instability, and a constitutional crisis. The American Founders considered and rejected a national popular vote because it would lack checks and balances to protect minority rights and limit corruption.

Judging purely on the organizations who are promoting it, Ranked Choice Voting is the most cleverly disguised partisan attempt to give dominance to a single political party that this country has ever seen. It is complicated, will require an extensive and expensive educational effort to ensure voters know how to fill out a ballot correctly, and patently violates the traditional "one person/one vote concept with has been the bulwark of elections in this country since its inception. Having to discern the voter's intent, rare at present, will become a commonplace requirement laid on General Registrars and Election officials if RCV is ever mandated.

The National Popular Vote (HB 375) initiative is absolutely abhorrent. It suppresses the unique voices of the individual states and holds rural areas hostage to the whims of the urban elite. I don't care about the "national" vote totals. I care about how Virginians vote. The number of voters in California or New York easily overwhelm smaller states. The Electoral College was designed the way it is for a purpose. This is just another attempt at consolidation of power by the Left.

The national popular vote (NPV) idea is nothing more than a dilution of Virginia’s voting power and cedes the same to more populated states. It’s wrong. We are a constitutional republic. Those wanting to do away with the electoral college shouldn’t attempt to flout the constitution as this NPV scheme does, they should argue instead for a constitutional amendment that they know would never be adopted. Framers were against mob rule. Virginia would lose its unique voice with NPV. The Electoral College turns swing states into microcosms of America, where candidates are forced to go beyond the big cities and reach out to all kinds of people. NPV would allow a candidate to win without any sort of majority, encouraging more candidates to run and thus ensuring that future Presidents get elected with smaller and smaller pluralities. NPV leaves the Electoral College structure in place but eliminates its effects thus doing away with its benefits. This would lead to uncertainty, instability, and a constitutional crisis. The American Founders considered and rejected a national popular vote because it would lack checks and balances to protect minority rights and limit corruption.

Good afternoon, I believe that switching our election results to popular vote alienates ALL states other than New York and California. The electoral college prevents our presidential elections from being decided by the most populated cities in our country. Please do NOT switch to popular vote. Thank you for your time.

Against: "By Popular Vote" would destry representation for rural VA. Norther VA is a socialist vote farm for Democrats. We already struggle with representation. Please don't do this...

Our Founding Fathers knew what they were doing and the Electoral Collage makes every state important. Popular vote would concentrate on large cities and the rest of the smaller cities and states would be ignored since so many votes are concentrated in large cities. Every state, city, town, county no matter the population should count and be just as important as large cities. The Electoral Collage levels the playing field and does not nullify any one area of the America because every citizens' vote would count.

Comments Document

My testimony is intended to highlight the numerous technical defects in NPV that will lead to, in the words of one of the law professors who initially developed the concept of NPV, "electoral crises" and "historic debacle."

Oppose this bill! The Electoral College was put in place for a very good reason, and while it may seem imperfect the alternative turns power over to the large metropolitan areas.

I agree the Electoral College has its problems, but I firmly believe that electing our President by popular vote would be a horrendous idea. The Electoral College preserves the principles of federalism that are essential to our constitutional republic. The U.S. is a large country made up of people from very different regions and cultures, and federalism is an important way of preserving the differences that make us unique while uniting us behind one common federal government. Since the country is comprised of 50 states coming together to form the federal government, it is important that the system to elect the President fairly represent them. By allocating electoral votes by the total number of representatives in a given state, the Electoral College allows more states to have an impact on the choice of the President. The Electoral College prevents presidential candidates from winning an election by focusing solely on high-population urban centers and dense media markets, forcing them to seek the support of a larger cross-section of the American electorate. This addresses the Founders’ fears of a “tyranny of the majority,” which has the potential to marginalize sizeable portions of the population, particularly in rural and more remote areas of the country. Large cities like New York City and Los Angeles should not get to unilaterally dictate policies that affect more rural states, like North Dakota and Indiana, which have very different needs. These states may be smaller, but their values still matter—they should have a say in who becomes President. By forcing presidential candidates to address all Americans during their campaigns, not just those in large cities, the Electoral College has the added benefit of eschewing radical candidates for more moderate ones.

Oppose HB375; Virginia must NOT automatically cast our presidential electoral college votes for whoever voters of OTHER states decide. Virginia votes must be decided each election by VIRGINIA voters. If HB375 becomes effective, over 80% of Virginians voting for "A" will be meaningless if Virginian electoral votes go to "C" because of so many voters elsewhere. STOP this bill of goal to devote Virginia's votes to whoever others decide.