Washington Withdrawal from National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Initiative (2022)
| Washington Withdrawal from National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Elections and campaigns | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Withdrawal from National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 8, 2022.
This initiative would have withdrawn Washington from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.[1]
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an interstate compact to award member states' presidential electors to the candidate that receives the most votes nationwide. The NPVIC would go into effect if states representing at least 270 electoral college votes adopt the legislation.[2][3]
As of July 2024, 17 states and Washington, D.C., had adopted legislation to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Together, they represent 209 Electoral College votes.[2][3]
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution gives states the authority to determine how their electoral votes will be awarded: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors." This compact does not abolish the electoral college system; rather, the compact awards all of the electoral votes from the member states to the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide.[2]
Washington governor Christine Gregoire (D) joined the state into the NPVIC in 2009.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title would have been as follows:
| “ | Initiative Measure No. 1422 concerns presidential electors.
This measure would change Washington’s method for selecting presidential electors to select one elector from each congressional district and two statewide electors, and would withdraw Washington from the interstate popular vote compact. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ] [4] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary would have been as follows:
| “ | This measure would change the State’s method for selecting presidential electors. There would be one elector for each congressional district and two electors for the state, selected by the political party for the presidential and vice presidential candidates who received the most number of votes in the district or state, respectively. Washington would withdraw from an interstate compact in which joining states agree to select electors based on the national popular vote, upon certain conditions. | ” |
Full text
The full text is available here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirectly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the Legislature in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for indirect initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the regular session at which their proposal would be presented to lawmakers. Signatures must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 324,516 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: December 31, 2021
The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified to appear before the legislature. If the legislature does not approve the measure, it is certified to appear on the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.
Details about this initiative
- Michael McKee filed the initiative.[1]
- Sponsors did not submit signatures before the deadline on December 30, 2021, therefore the initiative did not qualify for the ballot.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the 2022 Legislature," accessed April 13, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 National Popular Vote.com, Main page, accessed August 9, 2011 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "nationalvote" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Center for Interstate Compacts, "National Popular Vote Interstate Compact," accessed March 6, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "compact" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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