State Rep. Jay DeBoyer today criticized continued efforts to move Michigan to a process for awarding electoral votes that would discard the voices and priorities of voters across the state.

House Bill 4156 would place Michigan into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The compact bucks the traditional Electoral College – established by the nation’s founders and used diligently for centuries to ensure balanced influence from diverse states and regions when electing a president – in favor of awarding Michigan’s electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote.

“We would end up in a position where a presidential candidate who receives the most votes in Michigan does not receive our state’s electoral votes,” said DeBoyer, of Clay Township. “If our state had been part of the compact in 2016, this would have happened. We are a bonafide battleground state during presidential election cycles. Candidates come here to take in Michigan voices and priorities. We shouldn’t discard that and defer to how big cities in California and New York vote.”

For the last general election in 2020, almost 3 million people turned out to vote in New York City. Another 4.3 million votes were cast in Los Angeles. Combined, those two cities alone dwarfed Michigan’s record-breaking statewide turnout of 5.5 million votes.

“This is a ridiculous plan that would disenfranchise every voter in Michigan – which is a concern I consistently hear from Democrats regarding our elections process,” DeBoyer said.

Several states, plus the District of Columbia, have already become part of this arrangement, which would go into effect with participating states after they collectively represent at least 270 votes in the Electoral College.

“Instead of a constitutional amendment, super majority, or ratification from all states to go to this type of system, these collection of states would just tell the rest of the country and their voters that they’re out of luck once they reach 270,” DeBoyer said. “That’s not the framework that our founders laid out. It’s a shameful way to manipulate the system.”

HB 4156 was recently advanced by the House Elections Committee to the full House for consideration. DeBoyer, who serves on the committee, voted against advancing the measure.