Virginia will award its presidential electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote under a bill signed into law by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) on Monday, marking a significant shift in how the state participates in presidential elections.
The measure enters Virginia into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement among states to allocate their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the most votes across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, rather than the winner within their own state.
Under the current system used by most states, including Virginia, electoral votes are awarded on a winner-take-all basis to the candidate who wins the state’s popular vote. The new law would change that — but only if enough states join the compact.
The agreement takes effect once participating states collectively control at least 270 electoral votes, the number needed to win the presidency. Until that threshold is reached, Virginia will continue awarding its electors based on its own statewide results.
With Virginia’s addition, the compact now includes 18 states and Washington, D.C., totaling 222 electoral votes, still short of the 270 needed to activate the system.
Neighboring Maryland approved the measure in 2007, and other larger jurisdictions, including California, Illinois, and New York, have implemented it as well.
Advocates of the change say it would ensure the presidency goes to the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide, arguing it would make every vote equal regardless of geography and eliminate scenarios where a candidate wins the Electoral College while losing the popular vote.
Such outcomes have occurred multiple times in U.S. history, including George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016, fueling efforts to reform the system.
According to the Pew Research Center, 63% of people say they would prefer the popular vote to determine the winner of presidential elections; the issue nevertheless still faces a partisan divide.
The Pew study, conducted prior to the 2024 election in which Trump won both the popular vote and the Electoral College, found that 8-in-10 Democrats prefer a popular vote, while only 46% Republicans support it.
Critics argue the compact effectively sidelines Virginia voters by tying the state’s electoral votes to national results rather than the will of voters statewide. Opponents say the move diminishes the influence of individual states and could shift campaign attention away from smaller competitive states.
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The compact is expected to face legal scrutiny if it takes effect, particularly over whether congressional approval is needed for interstate agreements of this kind.
The legislation passed the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year largely along party lines and was signed by Spanberger on Monday.
