Action Alert– NPV — National Popular Vote

TO:  All League Members and Oregonians
FROM:  Kappy Eaton, LWVOR Governance Coordinator
Norman Turrill, LWVOR Governance Specialist

ACTION NEEDED: We need you to act now to help get a vote on SB 680, the NPV bill in this session.
SB 680 now has 18 senators co-sponsoring and supporting it, a bi-partisan majority of the Senate. It will likely pass the Senate if a vote is allowed. If the Senate passes it, then the House will also likely do so, since the House passed it during the 2013 session.

 However, we have learned that Senate leadership is not even allowing a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee.

We are asking for everyone who receives this message to contact:

• Sen. Courtney at sen.petercourtney@state.or.us , (503) 986-1600
• Sen. Dianne Rosenbaum, sen.dianerosenbaum@state.or.us, a co-sponsor, Senate Majority Leader and Senate Rules Committee Chair.
  

Mail is slower, but a follow up letter after your email or call can be addressed to the senators at 900 Court St NE, Salem OR 97301. Your own words and variety in emails are appreciated, but might be something like this:

“Please schedule a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee for SB 680 that would provide Oregon’s support for the Interstate Compact for Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote. We believe this bill deserves a hearing and consideration by the Oregon Legislature. As you know it would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire United States. The bill preserves the Electoral College, while ensuring that every vote in every state will matter in every presidential election.”

BACKGROUND:
 To learn more, click here to read SB 680 and for an overview.  National Popular Vote contact information can be found at:

• http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/
• http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/pages/states.php?s=OR
• http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/or7/

The National Popular Vote Compact passed the Oregon House in 2013, 38-21, with bi-partisan support. Senate leadership then also refused to hold a Senate committee hearing. LWVUS added a position supporting the NPV as an alternate to the position abolishing the Electoral College.