Florida would join an agreement to use its electoral votes to back the presidential ticket that receives the most popular votes in a general election under a measure introduced in the upcoming legislative session.
Filed on Sept. 20 by Florida Rep. Michael Gottlieb (D-Davie) HB 67 would allow the State of Florida to join other states and the District of Columbia in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), an agreement among those states to award all of their electoral votes to the presidential ticket that wins the largest overall popular vote in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Florida has 29 electoral votes. A candidate must win 270 of a total of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency.
According to the National Popular Vote website https://www.nationalpopularvote.com so-called NPVIC legislation has already been passed by lawmakers in 16 states and the District of Columbia which collectively possess a total of 205 electoral votes. NPVIC will go into effect when it is passed and signed into law by states that have a majority of electoral votes – 270 of 538 – enough to elect a president.
If signed into law, HB 65 will go into effect on July 1. Florida’s 2024 legislative session begins on Jan. 9.
