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15 Harv. L. & Pol'y Rev. 145 (2020-2021)
Toward a More Perfect Union: Integrating Ranked Choice Voting with the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

handle is hein.journals/harlpolrv15 and id is 151 raw text is: Toward a More Perfect Union: Integrating Ranked Choice Voting with the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Rob Richie, Patrick Hynds, Stevie DeGroff David O'Brien, and Jeremy Seitz-Brown* INTRODUCTION ................................................. 146 I. THE CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PROCESS AND THE NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE INTERSTATE COMPACT (NPVIC) ....................................... 147 II. RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV) IN THE UNITED STATES.. 154 A. Where RCV Is Used..................................... 157 III. THE VALUE OF PREPARING TO INTEGRATE RCV WITH THE N PV IC ................................................... 158 A. The Logistics of National RCV Elections................... 160 B. Addressing Partisan Considerations of RCV and NPVIC Implem entation ......................................... 161 IV. FIRST OPTION: THE RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV) IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS ACT ........................... .162 A. Congress's Power to Create Uniform Ranked Choice Voting Ballots and Tabulation Rule ............................. 164 B. Constitutional Backing for Congressional Control over Presidential Elections .................................... 167 C. Congress Already Regulates Presidential Elections ........... .168 D. Courts Back Congress's Assertion of Control over Presidential Elections............................................... 171 V. SECOND OPTION: AN INTERSTATE RCV COMPACT ......... .177 A . Tabulation ............................................. 180 B. The Simultaneous Independent Tabulation Approach ........ 181 C. Interstate Agency........................................ 183 D. Constitutionality of the Interstate RCV Compact............ 184 E. Final Considerations for an Interstate RCV Compact........ 186 VI. IN PRACTICE: THE 1912 ELECTION ........................ .186 A. Under the RCV in Presidential Elections Act ............... 189 B. Under the Interstate RCV Compact ....................... 190 CONCLUSION ......................................................... 192 APPENDIX 1: EXISTING COMPACT ADOPTED BY 15 STATES AND DC - THE AGREEMENT AMONG THE STATES TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT BY NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE ............ 195 * Rob Richie is the President and CEO of FairVote. Jeremy Setiz-Brown is Assistant to the President of FairVote. David O'Brien was a Staff Attorney at FairVote and is now Policy Counsel at RepresentUs. Patrick Hynds and Stevie DeGroff are Associate Attorneys at Hogan Lovells.