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KEEP OUR 50 STATES
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Letters from Roberta

Roberta Schlechter
Keep Our ​50 States
Volunteer NW Region Director
Oregon

 

Roberta Schlechter is a former legislative staffer in Oregon and Northwest Region (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington) Director of the Michigan-based KEEP OUR 50 STATES. She has advocated against the National Popular Vote since 2008. Opinions expressed are exclusively those of the Author.


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Roberta Schlechter
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​Copyright © 2021-2024, Roberta Schlechter

“As for your neighbor, North Dakota; Does it have less right to exist as a state than Minnesota?”

7/17/2023

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MINNESOTA

Editor,

I’d like to respond to Community Voices contributor Beth Anderson’s letter congratulating Minnesota on giving away the control of their Electoral Votes to NON-Minnesotans (“Minnesota Joins National Popular Vote Compact” July 15, 2023)*.

First, what is it that really builds “community”? Is it raw numbers? Under the Electoral College system, the successful presidential candidate builds support from multiple groupings of states and regions. People self-identify by neighborhood values and constituencies. We “vote” with our feet and pocketbooks and dreams for our children.

While America conducts all elections via a “one-person/one vote” process—with every state conducting two popular elections each cycle--America is not a pure democracy; we don’t have a “peoples’ president.” Rather, we are a Constitutional Republic wrapped around a federation of sovereign states (US Constitution, Article IV, and Section 4: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government...” POTUS stands for "President of the United STATES," i.e., the Executive of the federation.

Disclaimers are Needed

Whenever there is mention of presidents being elected who “did not win the popular vote,” it needs to come with a disclaimer: No American president has ever been elected by popular vote. Election by Electoral College is not an “inversion.” Rather, it is exclusively built into the American electoral infrastructure.

As for your neighbor, North Dakota; does it have less right to exist as a state than Minnesota? Are their 3 electors less than Minnesota’s 10? So how is a Minnesota voter disadvantaged by the 3 electoral votes of its neighbor, or any other sparsely populated state? (By the way, North Dakota’s legislature has repeatedly said No to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.) And could the average New Yorker even find the City of Savage on a map?

But now that Minnesota legislators have pulled the state into the Compact, voters need to learn about the potential downside. If the Compact ever takes effect (having survived Constitutional challenges--spoiler alert), Minnesota voters may get to watch the candidate they rejected, win the national vote and then swallow up Minnesota’s 10 electoral votes. Does that sound like a way to build “community”?

State Lines Matter

Finally, Anderson speaks of “blurring the lines” between states as being a good thing. But state “lines” matter. They define everything about how/where we live our lives: neighborhoods, taxes, and education standards, just to name a few. How many North Dakotans would trade places with their deep blue neighbors? A few might look longingly in your direction (and vice versa) on election night. If desire and opportunity are strong enough, people can and do relocate. California used to be red and Texas used to be blue.

Regardless, every election the Electoral College strengthens the walls around each state and keeps election irregularities in one state from polluting the process in any other.

Speaking of irregularities ... allowing Minnesota’s electoral votes to be controlled by the actions of out-of-state voters probably runs afoul of Article VII of your own state Constitution.

Roberta Schlechter  - NW Region Director & Volunteer Keep Our 50 States (Oregon).  She has advocated against the National Popular Vote since 2008.


Downloads for reprinting this article are available at our Resources/Handouts page.

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    Roberta SchlechTer

    FIFTEEN YEARS AGO,  when I first learned about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, I knew I needed to work hard against it and help inform lawmakers about the pitfalls of this Agreement among a few States.

    Having served as a legislative staffer and done lots of writing, I dove in.
    ​
    Today it’s WONDERFUL to be part of a vigorous TEAM that educates, encourages, equips and inspires people to jump in, to keep learning and to continue the campaign to defeat NPV. 
        - Roberta Schlechter
    ​

    I hope this page helps you to write letters to lawmakers or posts on social media. One piece of advice is to aim for a total of 300 words.
     
    On this page you will find:
     - Helpful Links
     - A sample “Don’t support NPV” letter 
     - Intros & conclusions for bills to 1) support the Electoral College and 2) Exit the NPV Compact 
     - Sample addendum to attach to legislative emails: additional facts and perspective about our election infrastructure, the Electoral College and NPV
     - Easiest ways to capture lawmaker email addresses into an email.

    ​YOU ARE WELCOME to use or adapt any statements made here for your own lobbying efforts.




    ​Roberta is the Northwest Region Director (Volunteer) for the 'Keep Our 50 States' grassroots group.

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