From what I hear, Chippendale (R) & Costa (R) have withdrawn sponsorship...

There is a formal process for withdrawing sponsorship. I have not engaged in that process yet, but I did vote AGAINST the bill in Committee and will vote AGAINST the bill on the floor.

It is TREASON to the Constitution of this Country. It is also the beginning of a totalitarian government. For those not familiar with pure Democracy, and why the Founders discarded it for this Country, it was because, it is mob rule, and no pure Democracy has stood the test of time or created a totally free society of individual rights then or now but the U.S. Representative Republic.

To stop the Slave States from complete control over Government they had the 3/5ths rule. Which I will clarify, as so many think it was saying slaves were not full humans. That is not what it was, it was for the same reason this law should not pass. The slaves were counted as 3/5th’s so that the slave States would not have such a majority in the Census, that determined Representation of a State.

The slave States had the largest populations because of slave ownership, (Slaves counted in the census) so they would have so many Representatives; they would control the Presidency, Congress, and the Judiciary.

If you want California, New York and Florida; to determine the Presidency due to there vast populations. Foolishly allow it. Once you go down this road, The Mob in control will bite the hand that feeds it, (YOU).

No State legislator should be even contemplating the stealing of power from 90% of the States in this Republic. An election that can turn on 1 vote in the Electoral College, that vote can be from RI or even from Wyoming, that is what the founders wanted for the States.

Interesting - 45 sponsors - How does this benefit OUR little State of RI?

Marina; If that is true, even with your conjecture. What a shame we have such uninformed representatives. This go back to what this Country has become since 2000. Vote for bills, to find out what is in them, get involved in Wars to nation build in Country’s that have no clue what a nation even is. We are the Government and are here to help attitude.
The most scary thing for me in your post is the, not understanding what it was. How does anyone not understand what the Electoral College is, involved in politics. Now I know the left since Bush was elected, has been harping to abolish it, Pelosi has pushed it for years. But it is still mob rule without it. For any State to try and circumvent the Constitution of the Country is despicable.

We are a Representative Republic form of Government, not a Pure Democracy!!!!! I know this is lost when all the news and schools no longer use the truth. It is however what I was taught a long time ago, sadly not much of this has been taught since the 60’s in the middle and high schools, where it should be first taught. We now have a bunch of either misinformed, uneducated, or brainwashed politicians evidently nation wide, on what kind of government we actually have. Shame on them, who do not, at the least Study the Constitution and Federalist papers.

Again The "Electoral College" is to prevent Mob Rule, allowing even the least populus States or just one single State, to decide the Presidential Election, which happens qute often now

I agree Jack. One representative even told me that she/he co-sponsored everything that came along and then decided how to vote later. Adding, that's the way we do it here. What have we come to?????

Co-sponsoring a bill doesn't necessarily mean you support the final bill but rather that you agree its something we should look at with that said after gathering alot of info I voted against the bill last week in committee. I agree I do not think this is beneficial for Rhode Island Thanks for all the info Representative Charlene Lima

Thank You Marina for raising this topic. Every election cycle brings about a rally cry for the national popular vote. The electoral college was instituted by our founding fathers specifically to avoid the needs of urban centers dominating elections. the leadership of our nation is to be determined as structured by a majority of the population representing individual sovereign states, and protect the interest of smaller states such as Rhode Island. The electoral college, while it may have its inherent flaws, allows each state to have an independent opinion and a chance to matter in the election. To simply throw our lot in with the majority by diminishes our individual freedoms and denies the right of our state's citizen to help choose leadership which best represents their own interest.

Regardless, any change to the election process should be forced to pass the rigors of a Constitutional amendment process, and not subject to legislative whim which brings us closer to the Parliamentary process used in other nations where the law of the land can be subjected to the mood swings of a nation.

Again thank you, I shall contact my representatives.

Maybe the problem in the General Assembly is that too many junk bills are introduced. How could our legislators read each word? As an example, in today’s ProJo it read that there is a bill pending to prevent a driver from having a dog on their lap while driving. What the hey. You mean to tell me that in all our present driving regulations this would not be considered unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. You can be stopped for have objects hanging from you rearview mirror that obstructs you vision. I think that some GA members introduce some of this junk to have their names on legislation. This is how a serious piece of legislation could get in under the radar if we did not have some great citizens watching on the sidelines. Thanks again to Marina and those others that watch our backs.

Part 1
I am sorry Representative Lima, but that is an excuse, no different then (The Pelosi we have to pass the bill to see what’s in it),( or your, we have to sponsor it, to see what’s in it view), If you read a bill you are asked to sponsor and you cannot determine it to be something you would support, obviously you should not sponsor it, and waste your time and the peoples on it being brought to the legislature, what do you legislators not under stand about this.

I disagree with your view, as you well know there is limited time in the legislature over the course of the year To merely rubber stamp a bill to be brought before it because you cannot decide if it is good or bad, waste the citizens and representatives time and is obviously why there is a log jam every time at the end of the year. Surprisingly the log jam is always the most important bills, Why is that?

Part 2
When I read and surely most citizens, some of the insane meaningless to the average citizen bills, that are before the legislature every year, most people want to throw you all out of office hear and Washington. It is time for this State government to stand up for the people as a whole and do the peoples business, and throw all these special interest under the proverbial bus.

Not to mention doing the hard fiscal responsibility of Cutting and throwing those in jail who have pilfered the taxpayers for years. The cash cow needs to be put down, it has gotten fat enough and it is time to slaughter it and give the meat to those who paid to feed it, we the taxpayers.

The fraud, waste and abuse in this State is appalling. Are you aware we are in the top 5, as worst State for businesses to be or move to recently (Forbes)? We are 41st in education, we 5th highest paid teachers in the Country according to the National Teachers Union. Our unemployment is one of the highest in the Country. Our taxes are in the top 5 in the Country and rising.

Part 3
Our property taxes have hit the unsustainable ceiling, the pension system has become unsustainable. Towns and Cities are going under, people are leaving, businesses are closing, and businesses are leaving the State. We get millions to stimulate business and you give 75% of it to one business that will affect the employment over the long term by 1/100 of a percent, only if it is successful which it may not, since video gaming company like Shillings go under as fast as restaurants.

No I think you and many legislators have forgotten what you are there for. If you want to circumvent the Constitution with a useless bill like this one, give it to the Washington do nothing legislators. This is the exact kind of bill that should never be before the legislature, your job is to the State not the next presidential election.
This bill has nothing to do with the citizens of this State other than robbing them of rights guaranteed under the Constitution, and shame on anyone who supports this.

The "Network" movie line comes to mind, "I am mad as hell and not going to take it any more" seems to fit here ;-}

Marina raises some great points. I think a lot of us remember the debacle of Florida in 2000, when at different points some counties were doing recounts, some weren't, judges and election officers were making conflicting decisions, and both sides of the aisle were angry and upset, convinced that the other side was 'stealing' the election. Now imagine a close national election when all 50 states are following different procedures, some doing recounts and some not, judges in different states interpreting similar laws in different ways, and partisans on both sides enraged about the political gamesmanship being played.

I understand that several Representatives have decided to vote 'no' after being co-sponsors, and Rhode Islanders should be grateful to them for being willing to consider the very serious objections that have been raised to this bill. This legislation would be an electoral disaster, and would also strip Rhode Island of it's influence in selecting our President. Why on earth would a Rhode Island legislator favor that?

Sean Parnell
Legislative Outreach Director, Save Our States
http://www.saveourstates.org/

Do not drink the tea

Bulletin! Vote has been postponed until May 1st.The momentum that we all created to defeat this bill came into play and they have decided to postpone it until May 1st. Thanks for all your help!!!

Interesting quote from article by Jim Baron, Southern RI newspapers: The NPV people are trying to enlist states into an agreement to allocate all of their electoral votes to whichever candidate gets the most popular votes nationwide, regardless of how the citizens in that state voted.
So if this bogus “compact” had been in effect in 2004, when 259,760 Rhode Islanders voted for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and only 169,046 of us voted for President George W. Bush, all four of Rhode Island’s electoral votes would have gone to re-elect President Bush. In other words, “fie on all you silly people who cast votes, we are going to render them meaningless, and the votes cast on your behalf are going to go to the other guy.”
You can’t hold an election and then give the votes cast the exact opposite effect than that which the voters intended. That’s perverse.

Article at http://www.ricentral.com/content/politics-usual-switch-popular-vote-not-so-fast-folks-opinion