Delaware Bill Would Give State’s Electoral Votes to National Popular Vote Winner

Proposed legislation in Delaware would provide the state’s 3 electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote in the Presidential election.

Senate Bill 22, introduced by Senate Majority Whip Bryan Townsend, a Democrat of New Castle County would enter Delaware into what is known as the “National Popular Vote Interstate Compact”, a coalition of states that have passed legislation to award their own electoral votes to the national popular vote winner. Despite 12 states, including Maryland being signatories of the Compact, it will not go into effect until enough states sign on to make up a majority of electoral votes: 270. Currently, the states make up 172 electoral votes.

The legislation in Delaware has 40 sponsors, including Democrats and Republicans.

Since 2000, two Presidential elections have had split decisions: separate winners of the popular vote and the electoral vote. Most recently in 2016 President Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes, a majority, while Hillary Clinton won nearly 3 million more votes.