On February 20, the New Mexico house passed National Popular Vote (NPV) legislation, making it the 23rd state legislative chamber to pass the bill in its short three-year history. The anniversary marks a milestone for NPV, which is on track to reform the Electoral College by 2012. NPV is a national effort to enact an interstate compact ensuring that the winner of the popular vote wins the presidency. The compact will go into effect once states totaling 270 electoral votes enact the legislation.

The NPV bill has been introduced in 49 states and has the support of more than 1,240 state legislators who have sponsored or voted for the legislation. Representing nearly a fifth of the necessary electoral votes to implement NPV, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey have already passed the legislation. Recent polls indicate more than 70% of voters support NPV in a full range of states.
 
LINKS

[FairVote's resources on the case for reform]
[National Popular Vote]
[Rob Richie's blog on New Mexico win]
[Sarasota Herald Tribune Jan. 2009 editorial backing NPV]