48 Electoral Votes Away: National Popular Vote Campaign Closing in on Threshold
3rd October 2026
The push to effectively elect a president through a national popular vote is within striking distance, just 48 votes shy, prompting Electoral College advocates to step up their appeal to state Democrat lawmakers across the country.
In April, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill to make her state the latest to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, bringing the total to 18 Democrat-leaning states and the District of Columbia, which have 222 electoral votes. The agreement takes effect when enough states have joined to reach the 270 votes to elect a president.
Lobbyists for both sides have cranked up their efforts.
“I’ve asked lawmakers: Would you want your state’s electoral votes going to a candidate the people of your state didn’t vote for?” Jasper Hendricks, executive director of Democrats for the Electoral College, told the Daily Signal. “If this had been in effect, Virginia would have gone to Donald Trump in 2024, when Kamala Harris won it. That would not be fair, and it would have led to lawsuits.”