SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The phone number for Pat Rosenstiel should read 612-670-9465 (sted 612-741-2059).
The corrected release reads:
CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE PASSES NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE LAW
The California State Senate today joined a growing number of legislative bodies around the country in passing legislation to elect the President of the United States by a national popular vote. If Governor Brown signs, California will join the effort to guarantee the presidency to the candidate who wins the most votes in the entire United States.
The National Popular Vote bill, sponsored by Assembly member Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), would force presidential candidates to campaign in every state, and to court California voters rather than concentrating exclusively on a few battleground states.
“California should not be ignored in presidential elections," Hill said. "We need ALL the states in America to be in the discussion when a President is chosen."
In 2008, for example, candidates concentrated 98 percent of their general election resources (i.e. campaign visits, advertising, organizing, etc.) in only 16 states. This has rendered two-thirds of the country mere spectators in the election of the President.
"This really is not a Democratic or a Republican issue," said Tom Golisano, the national spokesperson for the non-partisan National Popular Vote organization. "The president we choose represents this entire nation, and we should all count when making that choice. Our presidential election should be a truly inclusive process.”
Under the National Popular Vote legislation all electoral votes from enacting states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire United States.
The legislation only goes into effect when enacted by states with a majority (270 of 538) of the electoral votes. To date it has been adopted by seven states -Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Washington, Hawaii and the District of Columbia. It is under consideration in every state in the country.
"California's support of National Popular Vote is a very significant milestone in our effort to make every vote count," said Dr. John Koza, the founder of the National Popular Vote organization.
Since 2006, The National Popular Vote plan has been enacted by jurisdictions representing 77 electoral votes. If the bill is signed by Governor Brown, that total would jump to 132 electoral votes, 49% of the total 270 needed for the law to go into effect.