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Governor Josh Shapiro recently said he is open to pushing Pennsylvania toward a national popular vote plan for picking presidents. He made the comment on stage with Pod Save America host Jon Favreau after Democrats won full control of Pennsylvania government. That short line—“I’ll work with lawmakers to figure out what the right mechanism is for moving forward on that”—is the opening shot in a fight over the Electoral College and how Americans choose a president.
What Governor Shapiro is actually proposing
Shapiro’s words were not a press release or a signed bill. They were a promise to explore joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). The compact says states will pledge their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote, but only once member states together hold 270 electoral votes. Right now 18 states plus Washington, D.C., report they have joined and they total 222 electoral votes. Pennsylvania would add 19 more, bringing that total to 241—closer, but not there yet. Shapiro’s remark makes it politically possible to try, because Democrats now control both chambers of the General Assembly and the governor’s office.
Why this matters for the Electoral College and for voters
The Electoral College was built to balance big states and small states and to stop purely national vote totals from deciding the whole country. The NPVIC would shift presidential power toward big population centers and away from less-dense states and rural voters. Supporters say the compact is a lawful use of states’ power to appoint electors. Critics rightly warn it raises serious constitutional questions—Compact Clause issues, whether Congress must consent, and other challenges. Even the Supreme Court’s Chiafalo decision, which lets states bind electors to state results, leaves open larger questions when states act together to follow the national tally. As one law professor put it, this is “an exceedingly undemocratic idea” if it lets a national vote override who voters in a given state chose.
What will likely happen next in Harrisburg and on the courts
Politically, Shapiro can now ask lawmakers to draft a bill to join the compact. That is the short path: bill in the House or Senate, committee votes, final passage, and a signature from the governor. That’s the political part. The legal and public fight is the long part. Expect fierce pushback from Republicans, conservative groups, and state attorneys general if Pennsylvania moves forward. Expect lawsuits that test the Compact Clause and Article II questions. Expect talk from activists about “democracy,” while opponents say this would swap one set of rules for another that benefits one party at the expense of others. Translation: a court battle and a real political fight are coming, not a quiet change to how we elect presidents.
Bottom line: Shapiro’s move is political, bold, and controversial
Governor Shapiro is thinking big—and national. Whether his plan is about fixing a perceived problem or setting up a future presidential run, it will force voters to choose which system they prefer: the Electoral College that protects smaller states, or a new compact that hands power to whoever wins the most votes nationwide. That is not a small change. It’s a major shift in who gets heard in presidential elections. Conservatives should prepare a clear, loud response, because if Democrats push this through, the next fight over how America votes will be fought in state houses and in federal courtrooms—not in polite op-eds. And that is exactly the sort of drama our founders hoped to avoid—until modern politicians decided they knew better.
