The League of Women Voters is Really Inconsistent

The League of Women Voters elects its OWN national President using Electors, similar to how the States have elected the President of the United States since George Washington! Their endorsement of the NPV is, at its best, "Inconsistent".

I am rebutting an Opinion column which appeared in BridgeMI by the League of Women Voters that endorses the National Popular Vote scheme.  That piece can be found at the link below.*

To the Editor:

League of Women Voters of Michigan (LWV-MI) co-presidents Hargsough and Bowman ask readers to embrace the philosophy that “every person has the desire, right and knowledge to participate and have their voice be heard” in national elections.

The LWV Uses an 'Electoral Vote'-type System to Elect Its Own national President!

Yet, LWV selects its own national officers by... wait for it... representative means. States send delegates to the LWV national convention, the number based on state dues paying members.  Specifically, for every fifty (50) dues-paying members of the LWV, the State and Local affiliate chapters get one vote to cast via a delegate attending their biennial national convention. A stunning 98% of the LWV membership do NOT get to vote for their own National LWV President!  So much for their philosophy that “every person has the desire, right and knowledge to participate and have their voice be heard” in national elections

Michigan Has NOT Been Ignored by EC Campaigning!

Contrary to their characterization of the current system is this: According to the Chicago Tribune, in the final three months of the 2020 Presidential Campaign, Presidential Candidates visited Michigan 22 TIMES. (Biden team: 12 times, Trump team: 10 times.) With a fully functioning Electoral College, Michigan was fully in play. Yet NPV  proponents argue that without the Compact, Michiganders somehow get overlooked.

NPV Violates the Michigan Constitution

But here’s the more critical argument. National Popular Vote has managed to get this far without much attention to the key issue of residency requirements stipulated in the state constitution. In Michigan, the state document contains a double whammy:
 ART 2, Sec. 1. “Every citizen of the United States... who has resided in this state six months...shall be an elector and qualified to vote...”
 And more explicitly: Sec. 3. Presidential electors; residence. “...The legislature shall not permit voting by any person who meets the voting residence requirements of the state to which he has removed.”

NPV Gives the Control of WHO Chooses Michigan's 15 Electors to NON-Michiganders

National Popular Vote is an attempted end-run around the US Constitution. But closer to home, it runs counter to the Michigan state Constitution. It would hand over control of Michigan presidential Electors to the winner of votes from millions who specifically do NOT satisfy Michigan residency requirements. Essentially NPV could turn Michigan Electors into the equivalent of “faithless electors.” NPR (July 2023) reported, "... Writing for the court, Justice Elena Kagan ... said Electoral College delegates have no ground for reversing the statewide popular vote.” 

Like all states, Michigan conducts two popular votes for every presidential election: primary and general. In 2020 a Michigander’s presidential vote was 1 among 5.5 million other Michiganders. Under NPV it would have been 1 in 158 million! Without the Electoral College to protect Michigan’s borders, even your single metropolitan area (ranked 14th nationwide) would have been small potatoes alongside the 114 million
people who live in larger urban areas.

I urge lawmakers to not be swayed by an attempted work around of the US Constitution. Please, look to your oath of office. Uphold allegiance to your constitution
and safeguard Michigan voters. No one else can.


Roberta Schlechter
Volunteer with Michigan-based KEEP OUR 50 STATES

* https://www.bridgemi.com/guest-commentary/opinion-pass-national-popular-vote-michigan-safeguard-democracy

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