Question for a Lone Republican Sponsoring the NPV

Sep 2023 Ed. Note:  Out of more than 166 State lawmakers in 13 States who are sponsoring the National Popular Vote in their State, Minnesota State Rep. Pat Garofalo is one of only TWO Republican sponsors in the 2023-2024 Legislative Session! The other Republican lawmaker is in Maine.

​There are a total of 1,926 State lawmakers in these 13 States, 166 NPV Sponsors, 164 of whom are Democrats and just TWO are Republicans.
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Roberta wrote to him with some questions.

Rep Garofalo:

Today I learned that you’ve been a Republican on the NPV bandwagon for over a
decade, and regularly receive John Koza’s out-of-state donations to your campaign for
state office.

In 2012 you reportedly voiced the standard NPV claim, that under the Compact “every
vote is of equal value in our process.” The question is, equal to WHAT?

In 2020 a Minnesotan’s vote for President was one in 3.3 million. Under NPV it would
have been 1 in 158 million! So how exactly is it that NPV would make your
constituents “more equal” in ANY WAY?

And if this is about campaign expenditures... Minnesota’s ONE AND ONLY major
metropolitan area, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (WI) ranks 16th in size among the
most populous metropolitan areas, with 3.6 million population, up against 234.5
million urbanites living in larger metro areas elsewhere.

Pro-NPV arguments set up smoke screens and GOP lawmakers have always lead the
campaign to see around and through them. FEDERALISM means people are to be
governed WHERE THEY LIVE. You and your colleagues will ALWAYS be elected by
LOCAL voters. And while they may possess US passports, MINNESOTA is “home.”
NPV obligates future lawmakers to potentially face RELINQUISHING AUTHORITY over
their own state electors… to distance their own voters from the votes they cast. 

Is this what you want? Really?
​
Respectfully,
Roberta Schlechter for KEEP OUR 50 STATES.

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