Our Mission:

Our mission is simple: to reform the country’s presidential election system to assure two things. First, that the candidate for the country’s highest office who earns the most votes nationwide becomes president. This is the governing principle in every other American election, and polls consistently show that Americans across all demographic categories favor this reform. Second, that the votes of all citizens in the presidential election count and matter equally. This means ensuring that individual votes get counted toward state popular votes; ensuring that state popular votes are respected when tabulating the national winner; and encouraging reform such that individual votes influence the election outcome in as direct a manner as possible.

The Problems:

The current presidential election system is broken. In the general election, candidates campaign, advertise, and make policy promises primarily in states accounting for about 20% of the population. They ignore all the voters in about 40 states. If elected, they have every incentive to shape all legislation and executive action to curry favor from a few voters in a handful of states. They understand that for the only nationally-elected office—the Presidency—this election system violates the promise of equality that is the bedrock of the American Dream. 

The candidates behave in this anti-democratic manner because the system tells them winning the national popular vote is meaningless. In about one out of every three close elections, the popular vote winner does not become president. As more Americans continue to move into fewer states, the odds of the people’s choice not ending up representing the people after close elections will steadily increase.

If candidates were obliged to value each voter equally, everything about the general election process would be different. Campaigns would compete to register voters, and encourage voters to vote, in every nook and cranny of the country. Candidates would have to appeal to everyone, and not just to win thin pluralities in a small number of states. Because the presidential campaigns define the level of participation, truly national general elections would create bigger electorates for all federal and state candidates in all states. As a result, all citizens would know they were part of a consensus that not only picked the president but also all other candidates, and down-ballot the most partisan extremists on both ends of the political spectrum would not be able to appeal to the broader spectrum of voters.

The current system violates the fundamental principle of one person one vote. But it also is a root cause of dysfunction in all American politics.

Serious defects in this country’s election processes from election day to inauguration day enable threats to nullify the will of voters and undermine the integrity of our democratic processes. Although the 2020 presidential election was in many ways a success, there were unprecedented efforts by both elected and appointed federal and state officials, in the executive and legislative branches, to alter or nullify properly compiled election results. Many Americans continue to believe that the 2020 election was stolen, and they are being primed to believe it could happen again. There is no guarantee that our institutions will successfully withstand future pressures from those who cynically manipulate our system to disenfranchise voters and stoke partisan bitterness and outrage.

The Solution: A Constitutional Amendment

The need for fundamental reform of our deeply flawed electoral system is now urgent. Increasing political turmoil as well as widespread voter dissatisfaction and distrust of government are likely to soon provide an opportunity for transformative change in the way we conduct our presidential elections. 

To take advantage of that opportunity, we must be prepared to move forward with the one reform that would ensure that every vote cast for President nationwide is counted equally: a constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College and replacing it with a direct popular vote for President.

MEVC, Inc. intends to play a leading role in the movement to enact that amendment. Our related educational organization, the Making Every Vote Count Foundation, hosts events to educating policymakers and the public about the undemocratic nature of our current system and the risks it poses for increasing political chaos. We are convening an Advisory Council of experts and activists to address the details of a proposed constitutional amendment. We are conducting polling not only to confirm the high levels of support for a direct popular vote, but also to help us assess the current political landscape. Making progress on a constitutional amendment will require strong voter enthusiasm in many states, and MEVC, Inc. intends to work toward mobilizing popular support for reform that puts pressure on elected officials in both major parties to overhaul the current system. 

None of this will be easy. Success will require that voters and democracy organizations with different interests work together. But we start from a strong position because most voters agree that the current presidential election system must change. A constitutional amendment would effect that change without the major political, legal, and practical implementation challenges of other potential reforms. Moreover, history reveals that successful constitutional amendments often follow times of crisis and attempted constitutional reforms to the Electoral College have come closest to success in times of shifting party alignments. In this time of crisis and division, with our political parties in disarray, we need bold, ambitious action. We must lay the groundwork now for a constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College.

To support MEVC, Inc.’s efforts to refine and execute a campaign to enact a constitutional amendment to implement a direct popular vote for President, please donate HERE. Please note that contributions to MEVC, Inc., a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, will support advocacy work and are not tax deductible.

Become a Supporter

Americans across the country agree that the current Presidential selection system is broken, and that the candidate with the most votes should become President. Become a MEVC Supporter and tell us why you believe now is the time for reform. We will share your message on our website.