August 4, 2010 — Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick signed the signed the National Popular Vote bill, making Massachusetts the sixth state to enact the bill and giving the National Popular Vote bill 27% of the electoral votes needed to bring it into effect.
Associated Press article
Boston Globe article
Enhanced On-Line News
Governor Deval Patrick (seated) signs the National Popular Vote bill. From left to right, Senator Tom Kennedy, Representative Mike Moran, Rep.
Bruce Ayers, Rep. Tom Stanley, Pam Wilmot (President of Common Cause Massachusetts), Senator Jamie Eldridge , Rep. Jay Kaufman (clapping), Massachusetts Legislative Counsel Gavi Wolf ACLU (back), Rep. Anthony Cabral (front), aide to Sen Kennedy (back), Common Cause board member Bill Schmidt, Massachusetts Sierra Club Director Jay McCaffrey Director, Common Cause board member Dick Terry.
Photo courtesy of Holland Hinman/Governor's Office
Governor Deval Patrick, legislative leaders, and Pam Wilmot of Common Cause discuss National Popular Vote bill. From left to right, Rep Frank Smizik, James Cofield (Chair of the Black Political Task Force), Pam Wilmot (President of Common Cause Massachusetts), Representative Mike Moran, Governor Deval Patrick, and Senator Tom Kennedy.
Photo courtesy of Holland Hinman/Governor's Office
On July 27, 2010, the Massachusetts Legislature completed action on the National Popular Vote bill [H 4156] and sent it to Governor Deval Patrick for his consideration. The Senate's final vote on enactment was 28-9.
New York Times article
Boston Herald article
Business Wire
Boston Globe article
Op-Ed by Michael Dukakis
On July 15, 2010, the Massachusetts Senate passed the National Popular Vote bill [H 4156] by a 28-10 vote.
On June 2, 2010, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed the
National Popular Vote bill [H 4156] by a 113-35 vote.
Boston Globe article
Metro West News editorial
Boston Globe column by Scot Lehigh
Blue Mass blog by Pam Wilmot
Massachusetts House of Representatives debates bill
National Popular Vote bill passes 113-35
A survey of 800 Massachusetts voters conducted on May 23-24, 2010 showed 72% overall support for the idea that the President ofthe United States should be the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states.
WWLP News story
Voters were asked:
"How do you think we should elect the President: Should it be the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states, or the current electoral college system?"
By political affiliation, support for a national popular vote was 86% among Democrats, 54% among Republicans, and 68% among others. By gender, support was 85% among women and 60% among men. By age, support was 85% among 18-29 year olds, 75% among 30-45 year olds, 69% among 46-65 year olds, and 72% for those older than 65. By race, support was 72% among whites, 82% among African-Americans, and 58% among Others. The survey was conducted by Public Policy Polling, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 1/2%.
Massachusetts voters were also asked a 3-way question:
"Do you prefer a system where the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states on a nationwide basis is elected President, or one like the one used in Nebraska and Maine where electoral voters are dispensed by Congressional district, or one in which all of the state's electoral votes would be given to the statewide winner?"
The results of this three-way question were that 68% favored a national popular vote, 16% favored awarding its electoral votes by congressional district, and 16% favored the existing statewide winner-take-all system (i.e., awarding all of a state’s electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most votes statewide).
Massachusetts May 2010 poll
On July 24, 2009, the Committee on Election Laws favorably reported a new bill (H 4156).
On January 13, 2009, Representatives Charles A. Murphy and Garrett J. Bradley introduced the National Popular Vote bill (H660) in the Massachusetts House for 2009. The bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Carlo P. Basile, James Dwyer, Lori Ehrlich, Jay R. Kaufman, John D. Keenan, William Lantigua, Charles A. Murphy, Byron Rushing, Tom Sannicandro, Cleon H. Turner, Alice K. Wolf, Geraldo Alicea, Cory Atkins, Theodore C. Speliotis, Frank I. Smizik, William Smitty Pignatelli, Martha M. Walz, Steven J. D'Amico, John P. Fresolo, Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera, Stephen Kulik, Antonio F.D. Cabral, Carl M. Sciortino, Jr., Sarah K. Peake, David B. Sullivan, James J. O'Day, Louis L. Kafka, Mark V. Falzone, Christopher J. Donelan, Peter v. Kocot, Anne M. Gobi, Brian P. Wallace, Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Joyce A. Spiliotis, Denise Provost, Kay Khan, Alice Hanlon Peisch, John W. Scibak, Mary E. Grant, Kevin J. Murphy, Michael J. Moran, Thomas M. Stanley, Robert L. Rice, Jr., Paul McMurtry, Jonathan Hecht, Pam Richardson, James B. Eldridge, Christopher J. Donelan, James E. Vallee, Barry R. Finegold, Thomas P. Conroy, Martin J. Walsh, Denis E. Guyer, Karen E. Spilka, Robert A. O'Leary, Anthony W. Petruccelli, Alice Hanlon Peisch, James R. Miceli, Cynthia Stone Creem, Kevin Aguiar, Sean Garballey, Demetrius J. Atsalis, Bill Bowles, and James Cantwell.
Milford Daily News article
On January 12, 2009, Senator Joan M. Menard introduced the National Popular Vote bill (S353) in the Massachusetts Senate for 2009. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Susan C. Tucker, Harriette L. Chandler, Patricia D. Jehlen, Thomas P. Kennedy, Kenneth J. Donnelly, James B. Eldridge, Karen E. Spilka, Anthony W. Petruccelli, Robert A. O'Leary, Cynthia Stone Creem, and Thomas M. McGee.
On July 30, 2008, the Massachusetts Senate passed the National Popular Vote bill on third reading (and engrossment). Immediately beforehand, a crippling amendment was defeated by a vote of 27 to 9. Under Massachusetts legislative procedures, an additional vote is required in both the House and Senate to transmit the bill to the Governor. Although this vote was on the agenda on the session's last day (July 31), no action was taken.
Associated Press story
Boston Globe 1st editorial
Cape Cod Times editorial
Enterprise News editorial
Boston Herald column
Boston Globe 2nd editorial
Boston Herald article
See polling results
Boston Herald article on Michael Dukakis Letter to Massachusetts Legislators
Boston Globe April 19, 2009 editorial
Boston Globe June 22, 2008 editorial
On July 9, 2008, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed the National Popular Vote bill.
2008 Dukakis letter to Legislature
Alexander Keyssar letter to Legislature
A survey of 800 Massachusetts voters conducted on June 3, 2008 showed 73% overall support for a national popular vote for President. By party, support was 82% among Democrats, 66% among independents, and 54% among Republicans. By age, support was 74% among 18-29 year olds, 69% among 30-45 year olds, 72% among 46-65 year olds, and 78% for those older than 65. By gender, support was 80% among women and 63% among men. By race, support was 75% among whites (representing 88% of respondents), 59% among African-Americans (representing 4% of respondents), 66% among Hispanics (representing 1% of respondents), and 57% among Others (representing 7% of respondents). The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 1/2%.
Massachusetts June 2008 poll
National Popular Vote bill passes Massachusetts House 116-37
Massachusetts House of Representatives
On October 5, 2007, the Joint Committee on Election Laws voted favorably on the National Popular Vote bill in Massachusetts.
The National Popular Vote bill was filed on January 26, 2007 in the Massachusetts State Senate (S445, Status of S445) (S452) by Senator Joan Menard and Senator Robert Havern and in the House of Representatives (H678) (H710) by Representatives Martin J. Walsh and Charles A. Murphy. Patriot Ledger editorial Milford Daily News editorial
Joining them in cosponsoring the bill are a bi-partisan group of 24 additional lawmakers, including Senators Jarrett T. Barrios, Patricia D. Jehlen, Michael W. Morrissey, and Robert O-Leary and Representatives Cory Atkins, Antonio F. D. Cabral, Steven D'Amico, James B. Eldridge, Lewis G. Evangelidis, Michael E. Festa, Mary E. Grant, Jay R. Kaufman, Stephen Kulik, Barbara A. L'Italien, J. James Marzilli, Jr., Matthew C. Patrick, Douglas W. Petersen, Denise Provost, Kathi-Anne Reinstein, John W. Scibak, Carl M. Sciortino, Jr., Frank Israel Smizik, Todd M. Smola, and Brian P. Wallace.
Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin speaks in Boston on September 19, 2007 on the National Popular Vote bill in Massachusetts. Raskin was the Senate sponsor of the bill in Maryland, was formerly Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts, and was formerly editor of the
Harvard Law Review. He is currently a law professor in Washington, DC and teaches constitutional law at Washington College of Law at the American University.
Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin and National Popular Vote President Barry Fadem testify at hearing of Joint Committee on Election Laws of the Massachusetts General Court on September 19, 2007
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Massachusetts Rep. Steven D'Amico
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Under the current system of electing the President, a candidate may win a majority of the Electoral College without having a majority of the nationwide popular vote. The National Popular Vote bill would reform the Electoral College by guaranteeing the Presidency to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia). The bill would enact the proposed interstate compact entitled the "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." The compact would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the membership of the Electoral College (that is 270 of 538 electoral votes). Under the compact, all of the members of the Electoral College from all states belonging to the compact would be from the same political party as the winner of nationwide popular vote. Thus, the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia) will be guaranteed a majority of the Electoral College, and hence the Presidency. Because the compact guarantees a majority of the Electoral College to the winner of most popular votes nationwide, the compact has the additional benefit of eliminating the possibility that a presidential election might be thrown into the U.S. House of Representatives (with each state casting one vote).
