Bill > SB322

This bill enacts the "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote," an interstate compact that Virginia will join, meaning it will participate in a collective agreement with other states and the District of Columbia to elect the President and Vice President. Under this compact, Virginia agrees to award its presidential electoral votes not to the candidate who wins the popular vote within Virginia, but to the presidential ticket that receives the most votes nationwide across all participating states and the District of Columbia. This compact will only take effect once states collectively holding a majority of the electoral votes (at least 270 out of 538) have joined. The bill also outlines how Virginia will appoint its presidential electors, specifying that if the compact is in effect, the electors will be chosen based on the national popular vote winner, superseding Virginia's current laws. It also includes provisions for states to withdraw from the compact, with a restriction that withdrawal close to the end of a presidential term will not be effective until the next presidential term begins. The bill also clarifies that if the Electoral College is abolished, the compact will terminate.