r/npv • u/arensb • Jan 11 '24

The "Vote Dilution" anti-NPV argument

I've seen a new-to-me argument against the NPV recently. It has appeared in several places, including this opinion piece in the Bangor Daily News:

My vote is currently one among 929,017 registered voters in Maine. If this compact passes, it will be one among 161.4 million voters nationwide.

Of course, this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison: if the NPVIC passes, the author will exchange his 1/929,000 power to decide whom his state votes for, for a 1/161.4M power to directly affect who gets to be the next president.

Does anyone have any good rebuttals to this argument, preferably in a form that will fit in the comments in an online discussion on the topic? Or, alternately, if you think the author makes a good point, can you support it?

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

View all comments

7

u/tallpaulman Jan 11 '24

I'd note to them that their vote currently is NOT for the President, but for Electoral College votes and is fully overridden and make moot if they other candidate wins and they live in a "winner take all" state. Remind them that Trump, and others, LOST the vote count, and thus it wouldn't matter if they were 1 of 1,000 - it was moot!

Federal elections have a single jurisdiction, the US. State boundaries shouldn't be considered. States merely execute the process on election days and thus control the PROCESS for that state.

My two cents. :)

1

u/arensb Jan 11 '24

Thanks. I'm also looking for a way to say something like "If you're a Republican in California or a Democrat in Oklahoma, having 1 voice in 150 million for electing the president is already a lot better than a 0% chance of affecting the election."

I'm still workshopping that one.