MSNBC analyst Michael Steele in West Palm to push popular vote over Electoral College

Tony Doris, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele speaks in Washington. Steele could disclose late Monday whether he'll seek re-election to the two-year post as several challengers line up to try to succeed him. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele speaks in Washington. Steele could disclose late Monday whether he'll seek re-election to the two-year post as several challengers line up to try to succeed him. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
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Michael Steele, conservative MSNBC political analyst and former Republican National Committee chairman, is due in Palm Beach County Monday to press for Florida bills that support a national popular vote for President, rather than the current system dominated by the Electoral College.

In addition to meeting with the editorial board of The Palm Beach Post, Steele is scheduled to speak at The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches and at Florida Atlantic University.

Two bills coming before the Florida Legislature this session seek to have Florida join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, aiming to guarantee the candidate with the most votes wins the presidency.

The bills have support from Floridians for National Popular Vote, a coalition whose partners include League of Women Voters, Common Cause, National Popular Vote, Inc., and Make Every Vote Matter.

“All public officials are elected by a majority of the popular vote except two—the President and Vice President” Floridians for National Popular Vote Founder and Chair Kathleen Crampton said in a release. “The candidate who wins the most votes in all 50 states should be president, no matter what. The states have the power to fix the way we elect the president—and we need Florida to help.”

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia which have signed on to the effort so far, representing 195 of the 270 electoral votes needed to change federal law.

Steele, a conservative who endorsed Joe Biden for President in 2020, served as lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007 and as chairperson of the Republican National Committee from January 2009 until January 2011, the first African-American to serve in either capacity.

According to Crampton, the National Popular Vote legislation would not eliminate the Electoral College but would change how it functions, as states have plenary authority over how they award their electoral vote.

Under the current Electoral College system, Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 even though he had nearly 2.9 million fewer votes than Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, because he won more electoral college votes. Had the legislation now proposed been in place then, Clinton would have been declared the victor.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Former RNC chair Steele presses for popular vote in presidential races