Governor, Lieutenant Governor Throw Support to National Popular Vote Bill

Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman are throwing support to legislation that would require Connecticut to join a group of states wanting to pool their Electoral College votes for the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote.

Both argue every American's vote should be counted equally.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, a Democrat, also supports the national popular vote.

“For the second time in five presidential contests, the candidate for president who won the most votes lost the election. That doesn’t make sense to citizens who cast their ballots. It also does little to bolster faith in the process and encourage participation,” Merrill said in statement. “My support for the National Popular Vote is rooted in the fundamental democratic principle of one person, one vote. Our electoral process is complicated enough. The outcome should be simple: the person with the most votes should win. That is not what is happening now.”

Wednesday's announcement by Malloy and Wyman comes as lawmakers hear testimony on numerous bills that would have Connecticut join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which 11 states have signed onto since 2006. There's also a bill that would endorse the current Electoral College system.

Some lawmakers, mostly Democrats, have voiced frustration with seeing another candidate secure the presidency without winning the popular vote.

But Republican Rep. Rob Sampson said he worries candidates would only focus on large population centers.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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