Democrats in Virginia are trying set a new Guinness record for the number of unconstitutional laws passed in the shortest amount of time.
RICHMOND, Va. (WHSV/CNS) — Legislation seeking to guarantee the presidency to candidates who earn the popular vote in national elections has narrowly passed Virginia’s House of Delegates.
House Bill 177 passed on a 51-46 vote on Tuesday, which was the final day for any bills to make it out of the chamber where they originated.
The bill – known as the “National Popular Vote Compact” – first failed in the Privileges and Elections committee at the end of January, but was reconsidered about a week later and advanced with a substitute version.
The bill would join Virginia into a national compact in which states agree to award their electoral votes to the presidential ticket that receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
One Democrat joined Republicans in opposing the bill in Tuesday’s floor vote. Three other Democrats abstained from voting.
It now heads to the Senate, where a version of the same bill was withdrawn by its sponsor, Sen. Adam Ebbin. It will need to advance through the Senate before becoming law, but that’s expected to be a tougher task.
The bill was introduced by Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria.
“The people of the United States should choose the president of the United States, no matter where they live in each individual state,” Levine said when questioned during a committee hearing. “It gives every American equal weight under the law.”
Opponents disagree over his premise.
“One of the things that was in place was to try to ensure that certain large states like California and New York, now, don’t have all the control in making a decision for president,” Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, told ABC 8 News.
House Republicans issued a statement on Tuesday’s passage of the bill, saying it would let Virginia’s votes be decided by states like California and New York:
House Democrats voted today to put big states like New York, California, and Texas in charge of who gets Virginia’s 13 Electoral Votes, passing legislation to ratify the National Popular Vote interstate compact.
Should Virginia voters choose a candidate of one party, but the candidate of another party wins the most votes nationally, Virginia’s 13 electors would be required to vote against the candidate chosen by Virginia voters.
“Virginia currently assigns its electors to reflect the opinions of voters in the Commonwealth, and this bill might as well have an amendment stating that our electors will be chosen by the State of California, said Del. Israel O’Quinn, (R-Bristol). “Virginians should choose who gets Virginia’s 13 electoral votes — not a handful of large states. The Electoral College was designed to preserve the voice of smaller states. Virginians should speak for Virginians.”
Levine tried to pass similar legislation the past three consecutive sessions.
“The Electoral College is an outdated institution that creates an undemocratic system for deciding who holds the most important office in the land,” said Del. Ibraheem Samirah, DFairfax, a co-patron of HB 177. “Call me crazy, but I think the person who wins the most votes is the person who should win an election.”
Under the Electoral College, each state is granted a number of electoral votes based on their representation in the U.S. House and Senate. A majority of states award electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most votes in their respective states. The candidate receiving at least 270 electoral votes wins the election.
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The Electoral College was created exactly to prevent the large, heavily populated states from controlling the election of the president. This character Levine appears to have real problems with the constitution, is leading the charge against the second amendment and now this attempt to deny Virginians the power their electoral votes give them. We can only hope that this proposed law is NOT signed into law.
Del. Ibraheem Samirah and his compadres have tunnel vision, and YES I do call them crazy. In my opinion they fail to properly consider the full impact of this legislation. If passed, it truly does mean that our vote no longer counts at all. My vote and your vote will be counted as the same as some other states vote. The control of what our vote means is taken away from us. There would be no difference if we simply do not vote. Virginians would not be allowed to disagree with others. We would then no longer represent or defend ourselves. That is simply ridiculous. I live here. My vote should be counted in the original manner that it was created and not be changed by a new progressive movement to become the same as that vote from someone and somewhere else. NO ONE should have the right to change my vote.
First the guns (AR-15) and now the votes ?………….Hmmmmm……………..Do I see a pattern here ?……..
On November 6th, 2016 the (D)’s touted a “Blue Wall” of about 200 EC votes locked in due to NY, CA, and IL. The wailing began on November 8th, 2016.
The big question is, if the pact goes through and DT wins the popular vote thus ensuring that CA, NY and IL EC votes go the him, what then?
Virginia is abdicating its sovereignty to a few big cities in California, San Francisco, where Nancy Pelosi reigns supreme, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Disneyland to name a few, just as it would abdicate not to New York State, but to who New York City wanted in office.
You forgot the end quotes.
I did that on purpose to give you something to gripe about and complain about and make comments about, because I have learned that that is what you like to do, and I feel a duty to you to be accommodating to your needs as a fellow human being, by giving you something to *****, moan and cry about in here, as you have done.
See how good about yourself I made you feel right there, as a sense of fellowship, from those who can to those who need.
God bless America that we can do that here is my thought, and thank God it’s not Russia, where we can’t!
For anyone wondering what that was all about, Mr. Otton functions as the GRAMMAR TALIBAN in here, commenting on what is wrong with everyone’s posts, which I am cool with, it is America, afterall, and if Mr. Otton wants to be “Miss Manners” in here with respect to how people use grammar, I would be the first to say that is his privilege, but with respect to having to use the words “end quotes” after your own words in a post I really find to be quite excessive and unreasonable on Mr. Otton’s part, as well.
It should be apparent that if someone like myself has made a post and has used their own words, that concluding with “end quotes” is totally unnecessary, since there shouldn’t be any confusion to clear up as to whose words they are in the post by adding the words “end quotes” at the end of the post, as Mr. Otton is insisting I do above here in his role of GRAMMAR TALIBAN of the Cape Charles Mirror.
It would be like closing this post by stating “end quotes,” when the only quotes are my own words.
It would be silly, so I am not going to do it, and if that earns me the wrath and censure of Mr. Otton, I will just have to endeavor to persevere.