Opinion | Why Michigan must embrace the National Popular Vote

In Michigan and across the country, voters sent a clear message that much of the current political system isn’t listening to them or being responsive to their needs –  and they are sick of it. 

Thankfully, there is a plan under consideration right now to restore Michiganders’ – and Americans – a confidence that surely appears to be lacking now. We have within our reach a meaningful, democracy-affirming reform that will ensure a majority of voters decides the outcome of the presidential election, just as they do with every other election held in this country. 

The National Popular Vote plan now in front of Michigan lawmakers represents a beacon of progress. It reveals the path toward a more equitable democracy and a president elected by popular vote. On behalf of the NAACP Michigan State Conference and the Sierra Club, we advocate for its passage in Michigan, not as a political position, but as a moral imperative.

Conceived by slaveholders as a way to protect their interests, the Electoral College baked injustice into our democracy's highest office from the beginning. It inflated the electoral power of slave states by counting the number of enslaved people among those states’ populations even though they had no vote and no rights. It enshrined an assault on human dignity in a system supposedly meant to uphold democratic principles.

Recent polling from Pew reiterates that, across party lines, a majority of Americans support a transition to a national popular vote. The public recognizes it as a cure for injustices in our current electoral system.  Sixty-five percent of voters—including 82% of Democratic voters and 60% of moderate to liberal Republicans— support this shift. Its broad popularity gives lawmakers a clear mandate from voters to enact the National Popular Vote plan. All they need is the political will to do it.

The flaws of the Electoral College are laid bare by the current political landscape. Five or six states are expected to determine the result of this year’s presidential election. Voters are harmed by the stakes being so elevated in less than 20% of the states, and diminished in all the others. And Black voters bear an especially heavy burden.

From limiting ballot access and voter roll purges to voter intimidation and disinformation, voter suppression aimed at Black voters is intensified and well-funded in the states that will determine the election. Outside the battleground states, Black voters heavily concentrated in the South and in urban centers in safely red or blue states find themselves disregarded, their concerns relegated to the periphery of political discourse.

It is within Michigan’s power to challenge this status quo and chart a new path toward a more inclusive democracy. By joining the ranks of states that have embraced the National Popular Vote plan, Michigan can catalyze a seismic shift in our electoral landscape. With 17 states and Washington, D.C. already on board – representing 209 electoral votes – the momentum for change is palpable. We urge the Michigan legislature to seize this historic opportunity and add its weight to this noble cause.

At its core, the National Popular Vote plan embodies the foundational democratic principle of one person, one vote. It offers a pathway to greater inclusion for Black voters and every marginalized voice across our nation. No longer will most states be relegated to the sidelines as mere spectators in the electoral process. No longer will the whims of a select few determine the fate of our democracy.

As we look toward a future where every American voice is heard and every vote truly matters, the choice facing Michigan legislators is clear. They should embrace the National Popular Vote plan and usher in a new era of electoral equity. The time for change is now, and the fate of our democracy will be determined by the actions we take today. 

No more spectator voters who feel as though their voices do not matter. No more battleground state kingmakers. Instead, we can be a nation of voters confident that our votes will help shape the future we want to see.