Repeals authorizing Rhode Island to join an interstate compact, which would allow Presidents and Vice Presidents to be elected by a national popular vote rather than the electoral college.
Summary
H5519 repeals Rhode Island’s existing statutory authorization to join the interstate compact called the “Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote.” That compact would have committed member states to award their presidential electors to the candidate who wins the most votes nationally, rather than the candidate who wins Rhode Island or the individual member state. The bill removes the chapter from the General Laws in its entirety and makes the repeal effective upon passage.
As written, the bill would eliminate Rhode Island’s participation in, or ability to participate under current law in, the National Popular Vote compact. The repealed chapter had set out how member states would determine and certify presidential electors based on the national popular vote total, when the compact would take effect, how states could withdraw, and definitions tied to the compact’s operation. If enacted, Rhode Island election law would revert to the standard electoral-college-based framework, with no state statutory authority remaining for the compact arrangement.
Impact
The bill would amend Title 17 of the General Laws by repealing Chapter 17-4.2 in full, thereby removing the state’s legal authorization to join the interstate compact for electing the president by national popular vote. The practical effect is to prevent Rhode Island from using state law to bind its electors to the national popular vote winner and to preserve the ordinary electoral college process under existing law. It affects state election officials, presidential elector certification procedures, and any future interstate compact participation on this issue.
Sentiment
There is no recorded committee testimony or vote history in the provided materials, so sentiment must be inferred from the bill’s sponsorship and caption. The bill appears to reflect opposition to the National Popular Vote compact and support for retaining the electoral college system. Because no discussion transcript or roll-call vote is available, there is no documented bipartisan or public consensus to characterize beyond the bill’s repeal-oriented purpose.
Contention
The central point of contention is the method of selecting the President and Vice President: national popular vote versus the electoral college. Supporters of repeal would likely argue that Rhode Island should not delegate its electors to a national vote mechanism, while opponents of repeal would likely view the compact as a way to align the presidency with the national popular vote and increase the weight of each individual vote. The bill text itself does not include debate, but the issue is inherently controversial because it changes how presidential electors would be allocated if the compact were in force.