In 2009, 2013, and 2015, the Oregon House of Representatives has voted to fix the Electoral College by joining the National Popular Vote Compact.
In every one of those years, the Oregon Senate has had the votes to do the same. But in every one of those years, one Democrat —Peter Courtney— has refused to bring the measure to a vote, using his power as President of the Senate to ensure that the Electoral College remains broken and continues to elect popular vote losers like George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump.
This year has underscored the danger of continuing to rely on this broken system. Yet even in the face of such a shocking failure, Courtney refuses to relent.
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Will Oregon Join States Trying To Change Presidential Election System?
Oregon Senate leader Peter Courtney is facing renewed pressure to allow legislation that would change how the president is elected.
. . .
Barry Fadem, president of National Popular Vote, said his group is focused on urging voters to pressure Courtney.
“They almost don’t need to contact their legislator,” he said. “The only legislator you need to contact is Sen. Courtney. That’s because we had enough votes on the floor of the Senate to pass the Senate each time the House has passed the bill.”
Courtney did not return calls Monday for comment. He said in a 2013 interview that he didn’t like the bill because he feared candidates focused on the popular vote would bypass smaller states.
From Willamette Week:
Oregon Senate Has Repeatedly Blocked Legislation to Reform Electoral College
A bill to award Oregon's seven electoral college votes on the basis of the national popular vote has passed the state House and died in the state Senate, repeatedly.
"I believe that he had some initial concerns that national popular vote might disadvantage small states," says Kate Titus, executive director of Common Cause Oregon.
"However, I would suspect that after researching this more deeply, he has since learned that that is not at all the case. I would hope that he'll help provide the necessary leadership to pass this during the 2017 session, given that we've now experienced yet another election where the electoral college overrode the national popular vote."
Courtney did not respond to requests for comment.
If you live in Oregon,
- Call Senator Courtney and politely ask that he allow a vote on the National Popular Vote Compact in 2017. His capitol phone, per his Senate website:
503-986-1600
- Call your state Representative and your state Senator and ask them to vote for the National Popular Vote Compact in 2017. Search here for their contact information:
If you don’t live in Oregon, contact your own state legislator and ask they they, too, vote to join the National Popular Vote Compact:
If you live in one of the following states, good news: your state has already joined the compact.
- California
- Washington, D.C.
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington