Legislature Considers Leaving NPV Compact One Year After Joining

Maine’s alignment with the National Popular Vote Compact (NPV Compact) is back in the legislature this session with LD 252 – An Act to Withdraw from the National Popular Vote Compact. The move to join had been debated in Maine’s legislature multiple times before finally being adopted, without the Governor’s signature, in 2024.

The NPV Compact is currently 61 electoral votes shy of the majority needed to elect US presidents by a national popular vote. If that threshold is crossed, Maine’s custom of distributing 2 electoral college votes to the state-wide popular vote winner and 1 electoral college vote for each congressional district popular vote winner would end. Those votes, instead, would go to the national popular vote winner.

The current bill to withdraw from the NPV Compact was sponsored by Republican Representative Bagshaw of Windham and co-sponsored with Republican Representatives Faulkingham of Winter Harbor, Adams of Lebanon, Collins of Sidney and Cooper of Windham.

The 2024 bill to join the compact passed the house 73-72 with 6 absent. Bagshaw, Faulkingham and Adams had all voted against joining the compact but Collins and Cooper had not yet been elected. Collins’s predecessor had also opposed the NPV Compact; however, Cooper’s Democrat predecessor voted in favor of joining the compact before leaving office.

LD 252 was referred to the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee for consideration and the April 14th public hearing had over 50 public comments. Following their April 28th workshop, the committee put forward a divided report for the legislature with a majority in favor of leaving the compact.

MAJ – Ought To Pass
Senator Craig Hickman of Kennebec, Chair (D)
Representative David Boyer of Poland (R)
Representative Quentin Chapman of Auburn (R)
Senator Jill Duson of Cumberland (D)
Representative Ann Fredericks of Sanford (R)
Representative Sharon Frost of Belgrade (U)
Representative Benjamin Hymes of Waldo (R)
Senator Jeff Timberlake of Androscoggin (R)

MIN – Ought Not To Pass
Representative Laura Supica of Bangor, Chair (D)
Representative Sean Faircloth of Bangor (D)
Representative Anne Graham of North Yarmouth (D)
Representative Marc Malon of Biddeford (D)
Representative Parnell Terry of Gorham (D)

Despite the committee’s split decision, the House passed LD 252 on May 20th. The 76 to 71 decision to not accept the minority report sent the bill to the senate, where it was promptly tabled.

Last year, the senate had voted to join the NPV compact 18 to 12 with 5 senators not present. Of those voting, the decision to join the NPV Compact broke along party lines with 3 exceptions. Republican Senator Matt Pouloit of Kennebec voted to join the compact before leaving office and Democrat Senators Craig Hickman of Kennebec and Jill Duson of Cumberland voted against the compact.

If the House vote is an indication, a senate vote will likely see no movement between who supported or opposed the NPV Compact last year. Additionally, a senate vote to leave or not will likely come down to the 11 senators either absent or not in office for last years vote.

Senators absent or not in office for 2024 approval of NPV Compact:

Susan Bernard (R-Aroostook)

Bruce Bickford (R-Androscoggin)

Richard Bradstreet (R-Kennebec)

Scott Cyrway (R-Kennebec)

David Haggan (R-Penobscot)

Stacey K. Guerin (R-Penobscot)

Joseph Martin (R-Oxford)

Anne M. Carney (D-Cumberland)

Teresa S. Pierce (D-Cumberland)

Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland)

Denise Tepler (D-Sagadahoc)