Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote:
HB 33 would have enacted Florida into the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote. The bill provides that, if enough states join the compact to represent a majority of the Electoral College, member states would award their presidential electors to the candidate who wins the most votes nationally, rather than the candidate who wins the most votes within Florida. It also requires member states to conduct a statewide popular election for President and Vice President and sets out how state election officials would calculate and certify the national popular vote total.
The bill includes rules for when the compact becomes effective, how states may withdraw, how notice must be given to other states, and how a tie or mismatch in elector allocation would be handled. It also defines key terms such as chief election official, presidential slate, elector slate, and statewide popular election, and it would have taken effect on July 1, 2025.
If enacted, HB 33 would have changed Florida law governing the appointment of presidential electors by binding the state to a multistate compact that conditions elector allocation on the national popular vote. In practical terms, Florida’s presidential electors would be pledged to the national popular vote winner only if the compact were in force among states totaling a majority of electoral votes. The bill would affect state election administration, the duties of election officials, and the process for certifying presidential electors, while leaving the Electoral College system in place unless and until the compact becomes operative.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote, so there is no detailed public debate included in the materials provided. The bill ultimately died in the Government Operations Subcommittee, which indicates it did not advance through the House process. Based on the subject matter, the proposal is likely to have drawn support from advocates of a national popular vote and skepticism from those favoring the existing Electoral College framework, but the provided record does not document specific arguments.
The central point of contention is the shift from Florida’s current winner-take-all Electoral College approach to a national popular vote compact. Supporters would view the bill as making every vote count equally nationwide and aligning the presidency with the national popular vote winner, while opponents would likely object that it reduces Florida’s independent role in presidential elections and changes how the state’s electoral votes are used. Additional potential concerns include interstate compact legality, the timing and enforceability of withdrawal provisions, and the fact that the change would only take effect if enough other states join.