Colorado Supports National Popular Vote
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs National Popular Vote Act. Denver Post: "Gov. Jared Polis on Friday quietly signed a bill that pledges Colorado’s Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. The National Popular Vote Act makes Colorado part of a multi-state compact — but it only takes effect if and when enough states join to control 270 electoral votes. The bill had no Republican support in either chamber, and opponents announced plans Friday to ask voters to overturn the law. 'With the overwhelming support that (Monument Mayor Don) Wilson and I have received from people statewide, we are ready to start circulating the petitions so we can get this on the 2020 ballot and let the People of Colorado decide how their electoral college votes should be cast,' Mesa County Commissioner Rose Pugliese said in a statement. The Secretary of State’s Office said it would complete the necessary paperwork Friday allowing signature-gathering to begin. They’ll need 124,632 valid signatures by Aug. 1 to put the question on the 2020 ballot."
Delaware House Votes For Popular Vote
Delaware House passes bill to give state's Electoral College votes to popular vote winner. The Hill: "The Delaware House last week passed the measure by a vote of 24-17 that would add that state to a joint pact already containing 12 states and the District of Columbia, according to local news outlet WHYY. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would only go into effect if enough states sign on to bring the total Electoral College votes to 270. Currently, with the recent addition of Colorado, whose governor signed the bill Friday, the total is 181, still well shy of the 270 needed. Delaware has only 3 Electoral College votes. State Rep. David Bentz (D), the sponsor of the bill, said he proposed the legislation because Delaware is a forgotten state when it comes to the presidential election."
Warren Calls For End Of Electoral College
Warren calls for eliminating the Electoral College. Politico: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday called for abolishing the Electoral College as part of an effort to expand voting rights, making her one of the first Democrats running for president in 2020 to propose such a radical shift in how U.S. presidents are elected. In a CNN town hall in Jackson, Mississippi, Warren (D-Mass.) noted that deep red states like Mississippi and deep blue states like California or Massachusetts are rarely campaign stops for presidential candidates during the general election because of an overwhelming focus on swing states with the most Electoral College votes. Proposals to eliminate the Electoral College have gained steam in the years since President Donald Trump’s 2016 defeat of Hillary Clinton, when Clinton bested Trump in the popular vote by nearly three million votes but lost the Electoral College by a wide margin thanks to close defeats in a handful of key states. Trump’s victory has given way to momentum for a national popular vote, but the Electoral College’s enshrinement in the Constitution has prompted renewed interest in workarounds to spring up like the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, in which member states pledge their state’s electoral college votes to the winner of the national popular vote."
Trump Encourages White Nationalist Violence
It isn’t complicated: Trump encourages violence. NYT: "The president of the United States suggested last week that his political supporters might resort to violence if they didn’t get their way. The statement didn’t even get that much attention. I’m guessing you heard a lot more about the college-admissions scandal than about the president’s threat of extralegal violence. So let me tell you a little more about the threat. In an Oval Office interview with writers from the right-wing news site Breitbart, President Trump began complaining about Paul Ryan. As speaker of the House, Ryan blocked efforts by other House Republicans to subpoena and investigate people on the political left. Trump’s loyal allies in the House 'wanted to go tougher,' Trump said, 'but they weren’t allowed to by leadership.' The president’s continued encouragement of violence — and of white nationalism — is part of the reason that white-nationalist violence is increasing. Funny how that works. After Trump’s latest threat, I reached out to several experts in democracy and authoritarianism to ask what they made of it. Their answers were consistent: No, the United States does not appear at risk of widespread political violence anytime soon. But Trump’s words are still corroding democracy and public safety."
