Changing the way we elect the President is an important topic that deserves careful scrutiny. This page summarizes the concerns that have been raised during the course of the debate on the National Popular Vote bill, and shows how they are myths. The myths are grouped into categories that can be browsed by following the links below. This material is from Chapter 9 of Every Vote Equal, which can be downloaded by clicking on the button:
- 9.1 Myths about the U.S. Constitution
- 9.2 Myths That Candidates Reach Out to All the States under the Current System
- 9.3 Myth That “Wrong Winner” Elections Are Rare
- 9.4 Myths about the Small States
- 9.5 Myths about Big Cities
- 9.6 Myth about State Identity
- 9.7 Myths about Proliferation of Candidates, Absolute Majorities, and Breakdown of the Two-Party System
- 9.8 Myths about Extremist and Regional Candidates
- 9.9 Myths about Logistical Nightmares Arising from Differences in State Laws
- 9.10 Myths about Faithless Electors
- 9.11 Myths about Post-Election Changes in the Rules of the Game, Withdrawal, and Enforceability
- 9.12 Myths about Campaign Spending and Length
- 9.13 Myths about Election Administration
- 9.14 Myths about Lack of an Official National Count for Presidential Elections and Secret Elections
- 9.15 Myths about Recounts
- 9.16 Myths about Interstate Compacts and Congressional Consent
- 9.17 Myths about Mob Rule, Demagogues, and the Electoral College Buffering against Popular Passions
- 9.18 Myth about an Incoming President’s Mandate
- 9.19 Myth about Presidential Power
- 9.20 Myths about the Voting Rights Act
- 9.21 Myth about a Federal Election Bureaucracy
- 9.22 Myths about the District of Columbia
- 9.23 Myths about Congressional or Proportional Allocation of Electoral Votes
- 9.24 Myth That One State Could Derail the National Popular Vote Compact
- 9.25 Myth about Decline in Voter Turnout
- 9.26 Myth That Our Nation’s Freedom, Security, and Prosperity Are Protected by the Winner-Take-All Rule
- 9.27 Myth about the Replacement of a Dead, Disabled, or Discredited Presidential Candidate
- 9.28 Myth That the Winner-Take-All Rule Produces Good Presidents
- 9.29 Myth about Unequal Treatment of Voters in Member and Non-Member States
- 9.30 Myth about Voters from Non-Member States Not Being Counted by the National Popular Vote Compact
- 9.31 Myths that a Nationwide Vote for President would Favor One Political Party Over the Other
- 9.32 Myth that Major Parties Will Be Taken Off the Ballot Because of National Popular Vote
- 9.33 Myth about Tyranny of the Majority
- 9.34 Myth about Politically-Motivated Mid-Year Enactment
- 9.35 Myth That National Popular Vote Is Unpopular
- 9.36 Myth about the Weather
- 9.37 Myth about Out-of-State Presidential Electors
- 9.38 Myth about the French Presidential Election System
- 9.39 Myths about Unintended Consequences
- 9.40 Myth about Perfection