Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
Is Colorado required to give its electoral votes to Donald Trump because he won the popular vote in 2024?
Although Colorado joined the National Popular Vote Compact, the pact has not taken effect because not enough states have signed on to make it legally binding. That would happen only if the pact garners enough states to add up to 270 electoral votes or more. So far, 17 states and the District of Columbia have joined, representing 209 votes.
If the pact takes effect, Colorado must give its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote instead of the winner of the statewide popular vote.
In Colorado, the bill to join the pact was signed into law in 2019. Following a backlash, the issue appeared on the ballot in 2020 as Proposition 113 and passed with 52% of voters agreeing to stay in.
Only four U.S. presidents have won the electoral vote while losing the popular vote. The compact was first introduced in 2006.
See full source list below.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Ballotpedia National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
- National Conference of State Legislatures National Popular Vote
- CPR Colorado Will Join The National Popular Vote Compact As Voters Approve Proposition 113
- National Popular Vote Status of National Popular Vote Bill in Each State
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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