House passes popular vote bill

    The bill that could make Colorado part of the national effort to elect the president by popular vote instead of the electoral college is just days away from heading to the governor.
    Senate Bill 42 won a 34-29 vote in the Colorado House on Feb. 21. The bill was not amended in its trip through the House, which means it can go to the governor as soon as the speaker of the House and Senate president sign it. The 29 “no” votes included six Democrats, mostly from either swing or conservative-leaning districts.
    Under Senate Bill 42, Colorado would join 11 other states and the District of Columbia that have already passed legislation authorizing their inclusion in the compact. With Colorado’s nine electoral votes, that would bring the total to 181 electoral votes from those 13 jurisdictions. The compact goes live when the total reaches 270, the number required to elect the president.
    Under National Popular Vote, the presidential candidate with the most national votes would also win Colorado’s electoral college votes (the nine votes represent the seven congressional districts and the two senators).

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