TRENTON, January 13, 2008 - New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine today signed the National Popular Vote Bill into law. New Jersey thus joins Maryland as the second state to enact the bill. The enactment of the legislation in New Jersey came less than 23 months after National Popular Vote held its initial press conference on February 23, 2006.   AP Story

On January 3, 2008, the New Jersey Senate passed the National Popular Vote bill (S2695 A4225), thus sending the bill to Governor Jon Corzine for his signature.    New York Times story

On December 13, 2007, the New Jersey Assembly today passed the National Popular Vote bill (A4225).   Newsday article

Earlier in 2007, the National Popular Vote bill was reported favorably from the Assembly Appropriations Committee on November 19, 2007 and from the Senate State Government Committee on June 14, 2007.

Senate President Richard J. Codey and Senator Raymond J. Lesniak are primary sponsors of the National Popular Vote bill in the New Jersey Senate (S2695), and Senate President Pro Tempore Shirley K. Turner is co-sponsor. New Jersey Senator Barbara Buono is also a sponsor. Primary sponsors in the Assembly include Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (Deputy Majority Leader) and Reed Gusciora (Assistant Majority Leader) (A4225). New Jersey Assemblymember Joseph Vas, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, and Mila M. Jasey are also sponsors.

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).