Massachusetts Gov. Patrick to Sign Legislation that Will Reform Electoral College with National Popular Vote Plan

Pam Wilmot, Common Cause Massachusetts, (617) 962-0034

Advocates to hold telephone press briefing Wednesday at 1:30 to address common questions and misperceptions

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick today is scheduled to sign into law legislation that would reform the electoral college system and establish a national popular vote once enough states have signed on. Advocates will hold a telephone press conference to answer questions and dispel misperceptions about the plan at 1:30 today.

Massachusetts is set to become the sixth state to join the interstate compact that would guarantee the presidency to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states, once a sufficient number of states have passed identical laws. The Bay State will add 12 electoral votes to the compact, which has already been enacted by Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, bringing the total number to 73, or 27 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the proposal.

“Massachusetts has moved the country one step closer to abandoning an outdated system that disenfranchises two-thirds of the country and four times in our history has elected the second-place candidate,” said Pamela Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, a lead advocate for the legislation in Massachusetts and elsewhere. “With a national popular vote, all votes in every state will be equally important.”

Advocates will host a briefing to address common questions and misperceptions of the proposal, as well as to highlight recent successes. Recent inaccuracies in media coverage will also be addressed.

What: Telephone Press Briefing

Who: John Koza, National Popular Vote chairman, Pam Wilmot, executive director, Common Cause Massachusetts, Republican Minnesota state Rep. Laura Brod, national popular vote co-sponsor.

Date: Wednesday, Aug. 4

Time: 1:30 pm ET

Call-In Number: 1- (866) 961-9161

Background information: www.nationalpopularvote.com, www.commoncause.org, www.commoncause.org/MA/NPVEditMemo

To schedule an individual interview, contact: Patrick Rosensteil, 612-670-9465, Pam Wilmot 617-962-0034