Mar 8, 20234 min read

National Popular Vote: It's here, trying to silence Michigander voices. Join Zoom at Noon tomorrow

CALL TO ACTION TODAY

by Marian Sheridan and Patrice Johnson

The Senate Elections Committee will soon consider SB126, a bill that would join our state in the National Popular Vote Scheme. If enough states pass NPV, they would effectively ABOLISH the Electoral College in Michigan.

Yesterday the Michigan House Elections Committee heard limited testimony, choreographed to make it appear as if most people are in support of the sister bill, HB4156. It's likely to fly through committee to the House floor.

As KeepOur50States.org says,

“A very well-funded political movement based in Northern California which started in 2004 has convinced 15 State Legislatures, plus DC, so far to USURP this role and responsibility which our States have had since 1788."

Our nation is a republic whose federation of states has willingly joined to form a more perfect union. This bill threatens the core of our representative government. It seeks to make our nation a democracy, subject to mob rule and sophisticated propaganda. (Hence, one party's constant harping about our "democracy.")

To provide fair representation to less populated states, our founders took care to design a system whereby each state has two senators. Each state is allocated presidential electors based on its population. NPV covets Michigan's 15 electors.

As of February 2023, NPV has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia. These states have 195 electoral votes, which is 36% of the Electoral College and 72% of the 270 votes needed to give the NPV compact legal force. Acquiring Michigan's electors would bump the count to 210, 78%.

You are invited to join MFE's Zoom at Noon tomorrow. Learn about NPV and the national coalition to stop it in Michigan. Hear from task force leaders and committees.

Take action to protect the integrity of our state's elections.

Members only. Sorry, no press.

Click Here to Register

If adopted, NPV would hand control of this nation over to high population areas. No more swing states. No more representation for the individual states. Our states would all be poured into one giant U.S. bucket.

What if someday the drought-riddled south and California decided they wanted to take Michigan's water? A presidential candidate could run on that platform, and if the NPV was in force and that candidate won the majority vote, Michigan's electors would have to cast their 15 electoral votes for that presidential candidate--No matter that Michiganders voted against that individual.

It's absurd. It's a power grab. Our representatives must give these bills a big thumbs down.

History: Following the Electoral College loss of Al Gore to George W Bush in 2000, three liberal law school professors devised a scheme to manipulate the Electoral College to force it to rubber stamp a "national" popular vote tally result. They were able to attract Leftist financier and scratch-off lottery ticket inventor, John Koza, to invest many millions of dollars to turn their NPV idea into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact scheme.

Their Backdoor Method: Greedy, self-interested politicos understand that they cannot get a Constitutional Amendment proposed, much less ratified, by the required 38 States. Instead they are trying to make an End Run around the Constitution by using a simple Contract of Collusion. The progressive Dems on the Senate and House Elections committees all favor NPV. Some foolish republicans are drinking the Kool-Aid mantra "one person one vote" too.

This effort must be stopped to protect the Checks and Balances designed into our Federation by the Constitution.

The TRUTH: The Electoral College encourages diversity and coalition-building. It creates a framework that motivates presidential candidates to campaign in both larger cities and rural towns and appeal to many different demographics. The NPV scheme would mean that candidates devote all their time and resources to only the largest cities and appeal only to city-dwelling demographics year after year.

If these bills pass, Michigan would hand over its presidential electors and its independent voice to California and New York. To quote PIME's statement today:

Did you know that the city of Los Angeles has almost as many people (8.8 million) as the entire state of Michigan (~10 million)? It’s well known that majorities of populations of states reside in the larger cities within the states. Electing a president by National Popular Vote would ensure that candidates focus not only their campaigning, but also their actions in office only to support people living in larger municipalities. How will people in rural or smaller cities ever have the attention or resources they deserve and need?

What you can do to help

Please email or call each member of the Senate Elections Committee. Ask that they preserve the voice of Michigan voters by voting NO on approving SB126. Call House committee members and tell them the same about HB4156. A full list of the members of these two committees is below.

You may also attend the upcoming Senate Elections hearing in Lansing and give a 3-minute comment. PIME will be there. Sign up here to be notified when the House and Senate Elections Committees schedule hearings.

Please call each of these today:

House Elections Committee:

Penelope Tsernoglour (Chair) D PenelopeTsernoglou@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-2668 Dyln Wegela (Majority Vice Chair) D DylanWegela@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-3818 Gregory Markkanen (Minority Vice Chair) R GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-0850 Kara Hope R karahope@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-8900 Matt Koleszar D mattkoleszar@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-0854 Erin Byrnes D ErinByrnes@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-0847 Jaime Churches D JaimeChurches@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-0478 Rachelle Smit R RachelleSmit@house.mi.gov Phone (517) 373-0615