Maine Governor Allows National Popular Vote Legislation to Become Law

She said she recognized merit to both sides of the electoral college argument but would allow the bill to become law without her signature as its debated.

Maine Governor Janet Mills attends the Climate Action Summit 2019 in the U.N. General Assembly Hall in New York on Sept. 23, 2019. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Maine Gov. Janet Mills said she will allow a narrowly passed bill that would award the state’s four electoral college votes to go toward the winner of the National Popular Vote to become law, as opposed to the current system where the votes go either to the winner of the state’s popular vote or according to the results in each of congressional district—as is the case in Maine.

A group known as the National Popular Vote (NPV) is behind a push for states to enter into a “National Popular Vote Interstate Compact” that would hand the presidency to whoever gets the greatest number of popular votes at the national level.