Bill > HB375

This bill enters Virginia into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement that would change how the state awards its presidential electoral votes. Currently, most states award all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote, but under this compact, Virginia would instead award its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most total votes across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The compact will only take effect when states representing a majority of electoral votes (270 out of 538) have joined. The bill includes detailed provisions about how votes will be counted, how electors will be appointed, and allows states to withdraw from the compact, with a caveat that withdrawal within six months of a presidential term's end will not become effective until after the next president is inaugurated. The compact is based on the Constitutional provision that states have exclusive authority to determine how they allocate their electoral votes. Key definitions are provided for terms like "chief election official" and "presidential slate," and the agreement includes provisions for handling potential scenarios like vote ties or insufficient electors. If the electoral college is ever abolished, the compact would automatically terminate.

Government Affairs

https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?251+sum+HB375