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Bills · 2009-2010 Regular Session

SB 549

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

entering into an agreement among the states to elect the president of the United States by means of a national popular vote.

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Senate, not reached
  3. Passes Assembly, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Currently, the names of the presidential electors do not appear on the ballot in

this state. Instead, the names of the candidates for president and vice president

appear on the ballot and each vote cast for one of the tickets is a vote for the

presidential electors whose names are filed by their political party or, in the case of

independent candidates, whose names are filed with the nomination papers of the

candidates. After the winners of the presidential election in this state are

determined, the presidential electors whose names have been filed convene and cast

their ballots for the candidates of the party who filed their names, or in the case of

independent candidates, for the candidates who filed their names.

This bill ratifies an agreement among the states which provides that if the

agreement governs a particular presidential election, this state will certify the

electors of the party, or in the case of independent candidates, the electors of the

candidates, who win the national popular vote for president and vice president as the

winning slate of presidential electors in this state. Under the agreement, the legal

counsel to the government accountability board must certify to the other states the

winners of the presidential and vice presidential vote in this state and must accept

the determinations of the chief election officials of the other states in calculating the

numbers of votes cast for the presidential and vice presidential candidates in their

states. The agreement governs the election of presidential electors in this state in

any year in which the agreement is, on July 20, in effect in states cumulatively

possessing a majority of electoral votes.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Risser (D) , Wirch (D)

16 cosponsors

A. Ott (R) , A. Williams (D) , Berceau (D) , Black (D) , Clark (D) , Dexter (D) , Fields (D) , Grigsby (D) , Kaufert (R) , Newcomer (R) , Pocan (D) , Roys (D) , Sinicki (D) , Toles (D) , Turner (D) , Zepnick (D)

Full history

  1. Feb 22, 2010 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Risser and Wirch;Cosponsored by Representatives Roys, Kaufert, Berceau, Black, Clark, Dexter, Fields, Grigsby, Pocan, Sinicki, Toles, Turner, A. Williams, Zepnick, Newcomer and A. Ott

  2. Feb 22, 2010 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs

  3. Apr 28, 2010 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1