The 2026 blue wave could end up washing away the Electoral College. In addition to winning Congress, Democrats won full control of state governments in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. That means that a two-decades-in-the-making plan to switch our presidential elections to a popular vote system — a plan 18 states have already approved— […]
Admittedly I haven’t read the whole details, but I still wonder how it gets properly enforced beyond good will and ‘I totally promise’. It seems like something that would last only so long as all the members feel like doing it, if one decides ‘fuck it’ one day and doesn’t comply what stops them?
By interstate compact, a legally binding agreement between states which must be approved by congress. In this case, state legislatures must pass bills to form the compact because the US constitution says state legislatures decide how presidential electors are selected, but in some other cases, governors can form compacts without legislative approval.
It likely does not require Congressional approval, but the movement is drafting contingency-plans for in case litigation in front of maga courts pushes it that way anyway.
Yeah, and maybe I’m over simplifying things but if the states individually have to craft legislation to create and join such, what would stop them from subsequently recinding the same? What recourse would the other states have beyond kicking them out of the agreement that they just left anyhow?
Because the wording is “as long as enough states participate, we will also participate” so they all don’t have to join to leave at the same time for the changes to take effect.