Could Democrats change how Americans vote for president?

USA Today · , USA TODAY · 2026-11-06 10:09 UTC

Democrats may push a compact that would award electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

It's an idea that’s percolated for two decades: electing the U.S. president by national popular vote.

Democrats' midterm wins brought them control of five state governments, boosting the possibility of enacting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact – a long-discussed agreement between states that would shift presidential elections away from the Electoral College system America uses to choose the president.

States that pass legislation to join the compact pledge their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote, not just who wins their state under the current system. Since 2006, 18 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to pledge their combined 222 electoral votes toward this agreement. But the bills would only take effect after enough states join the compact to reach 270 electoral votes – the number needed to decide a winner in a presidential election.

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