Colorado Politics

Conservative group launches to defend national popular vote

A conservative group officially launched last week to make the case for the national popular vote compact in Colorado.

The group, called Conservatives for Yes on National Popular Vote, says being part of the compact “will force candidates to campaign in every state – red, blue and purple – in every presidential election.”

The national popular vote law, passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature along party lines last session and signed by Gov. Jared Polis, added the state to the compact, which requires the state’s nine electoral college votes be cast for the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote once enough states join the compact.

“The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will make every voter in Colorado relevant, which will be a win for Colorado conservatives,” the group’s campaign manager, Dennis Lennox, said. “Under National Popular Vote we will move from electing a president of the Battleground States to a president of the United States.”

The law, however, was challenged and voters will decide on a referendum about the issue in November. The referendum is supported by Protect Colorado’s Vote, which questions the law’s constitutionality and argues being part of the compact cedes Colorado’s votes to other states.

“The reality is that Colorado will not be a battleground state in the 2020 presidential election, which means more than 1.2 million Colorado voters will be marginalized for the fourth presidential election in a row,” Lennox added. “This will change under a national popular vote because every Coloradan will be permanently relevant.”

The group says that 15 states and the District of Columbia so far have joined the compact, totaling 196 electoral college votes. The compact would take effect once enough states join to reach 270 electoral college votes.

The Center Square is a project of the 501(c)(3) Franklin News Foundation, headquartered in Chicago.

Voting Hands and Ballot Box
(Illustrration by CSA Images, iStock)
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