Pennsylvania hasn’t been lacking attention in recent presidential elections thanks to the Electoral College and the 19 electoral votes it’s awarded the winner.
It was one of seven battleground states in 2024 and the major party candidates and their running mates visited the Keystone State 51 times between July 21 and Nov. 4, second only to Michigan, which played host to 52 visits, according to one analysis.
But some state lawmakers want to scrap it in favor of a national popular vote, which would hand the presidency to the candidate with the most raw votes nationwide.
Democratic state Reps. Chris Rabb and Heather Boyd have reintroduced legislation Wednesday that would make Pennsylvania the 18th state to join the national popular vote movement.
States that have enacted the National Popular Vote Compact.
‘Every vote counts’
“Every voter, of every party should have an equal voice in presidential elections,” Rabb, who represents a portion of Philadelphia, said in a statement. “This is the fundamental principle that our democracy builds on — that every vote counts equally. Not that some votes count more than others. It is time for PA to join other states in ensuring that every vote counts equally.”
Rabb and Boyd note that five times in U.S. history, including in 2000 and 2016, the winner of the Electoral College didn’t win the popular vote.
H.B. 270, similar to laws already enacted in 17 states and the District of Columbia, would take effect once states with a total of 270 Electoral College votes — the total votes needed to win the presidency under the current system — have approved the legislation. So far, the total Electoral College votes from the states that have passed the law is 209. Pennsylvania would add another 19.
More: How Trump’s new voter ID mandate could impact elections in Pennsylvania
Bipartisan support?
Rabb originally introduced the legislation, then H.B. 2662, in November, before the end of the previous term. At the time, the bill had the backing of Republican state Reps. Mike Cabell or Luzerne County, and Jamie Flick, who represents parts of Union and Lycoming counties. Cabell, however, had already been defeated in the GOP primary and did not return in 2025.
The current version of the legislation, H.B. 270, has seven cosponsors, including Boyd, all of whom are Democrats.
Who’s in?
According to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, the 17 states that have signed the legislation into law are:
Matthew Rink can be reached at mrink@timesnews.com or on X at @ETNRink.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: PA Dems want popular vote to decide presidency, not electoral college
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