East Haven Lawmaker Supports National Popular Vote For CT

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

EAST HAVEN, CT – A hot topic at the state capitol is whether the state of Connecticut should join the National Popular Vote compact.

One of the sponsors of the legislation supporting the concept, and one of its most ardent backers is East Haven Democratic Rep. James Albis.

Albis, who has sponsored legislation on the issue in past General Assembly session, position on the issue has been consistent - there’s a financial reason to get behind the movement.

“Studies have shown that swing states and battleground states get more federal dollars than other states. Connecticut is at a disadvantage there, and this bill would help level that playing field,” Albis has said.

Last week, after a 90 minute debate the House decided to table debate on the bill that could change how the results of presidential contests are counted.

Instead of using the Electoral College as the deciding factor, proponents state joining the National Popular Vote compact empowers Connecticut residents because their votes would count the same as a vote in bigger states.

The bill the House debated would allow Connecticut to join the National Popular Vote compact, which has been enacted by a total of 11 states possessing 165 electoral votes, which represent 61 percent of the 270 electoral votes necessary to activate it.

The compact takes effect only when enough states sign on to guarantee that the national popular vote winner wins the presidency. This means that states with a combined total of 270 electoral votes — a majority of the Electoral College — must join the compact for it to take effect.

It’s happened five times since the Civil War that presidential candidates who won the popular vote have not won the electoral vote.

Most recently, Republican President Donald Trump lost the popular vote in 2016 by nearly 2.9 million votes to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. But he won the 270 Electoral College votes necessary to win the White House.

Clinton won Connecticut’s 7 electoral votes, as she won 54.57 percent of Connecticut’s vote to Trump’s 40.93 percent. Minor party candidates picked up the remaining votes.

The Connecticut House approved legislation to join the National Popular Vote compact in 2009, but that year the Senate failed to take up the bill.

In 2014, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced his support for the legislation, but it wasn’t raised for a vote in either chamber that year.