Maine Compact Gains Path to Abolish Electoral College
Democratic midterm victories in six states provide the potential electoral votes needed to trigger the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
By Elena Greco ·
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact now has a viable path to reach the 270 electoral votes required to bypass the Electoral College system. Maine joined this compact in 2024, and recent midterm results have secured Democratic control in enough state governments to potentially close the remaining gap.
The compact operates by allowing member states to pledge their electors to the national popular vote winner rather than their state-level winner. This mechanism only activates once participating states hold a combined total of 270 electoral votes. Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have ratified the agreement, contributing 222 electoral votes to the total.
The missing 48 votes could come from six states that gained Democratic trifectas in the recent elections. These states are Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Together, they account for 61 electoral votes, which is more than sufficient to push the compact over the threshold if all five ratify the measure.
Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada previously advanced proposals to join the compact, but those efforts failed to secure final approval. With new legislative majorities, these states can revisit the language. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have not yet advanced such proposals but now have the political capital to do so.
The push for the compact is primarily driven by Democrats, although the political divide is not absolute. Maine’s previous governor, Janet Mills, allowed the bill to become law without signing it, reflecting a degree of hesitation. A recent effort to remove Maine from the agreement also failed, indicating that the issue involves complex state-level calculations beyond simple party affiliation.
Maine and Nebraska are currently the only two states that split their electoral votes among candidates based on district results. The other 48 states use a winner-take-all system. If the compact triggers, the splitting mechanism in Maine and Nebraska will still apply, but the final allocation of all member state votes will follow the national popular vote result.
