An Act to Withdraw from the National Popular Vote Compact
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0252
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: BAGSHAW, FAULKINGHAM
Amends: 21-A MRSA §723-A, 21-A MRSA §801, 21-A MRSA §803, 21-A MRSA §803-A, 21-A MRSA §805

Legislative Document
No. 252
H.P. 161
House of Representatives, January 21, 2025
An Act to Withdraw from the National Popular Vote Compact
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative BAGSHAW of Windham.
Cosponsored by Representative FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor and
Representatives: ADAMS of Lebanon, COLLINS of Sidney, COOPER of Windham.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §1, is 
further amended to read:
C.  "Continuing candidate" means a candidate who has not been removed from 
consideration defeated.
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §2, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Procedures.  Except as provided in subsections 3, and 4 and 7, the following 
procedures are used to determine the winner of an election determined by ranked-choice 
voting.  The ranked‑choice voting count must proceed in rounds.  In each round, the number 
of votes for each continuing candidate must be counted.  Each continuing ballot counts as 
one vote for its highest-ranked continuing candidate for that round.  Exhausted ballots are 
not counted for any continuing candidate.  The round then ends with one of the following 
potential outcomes.
A.  If there are 2 or fewer continuing candidates, the candidate with the most votes is 
declared the winner of the election.
B.  If there are more than 2 continuing candidates, the last-place candidate is removed 
from consideration defeated and a new round begins.
Sec. 3.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §3, is further 
amended to read:
3.  Ties.  A tie under this section between last-place candidates in any round must be 
decided by lot, and the candidate chosen by lot is removed from consideration defeated.  
The result of the tie resolution must be recorded and reused in the event of a recount.  A tie 
between candidates for the most votes in the final round must be decided as provided in 
section 732.
Sec. 4.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 628, §4, is 
repealed.
Sec. 5.  21-A MRSA §801, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §5, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Counting of ballots.  Counting of ballots for candidates for President must proceed 
according to the ranked‑choice method of counting votes described in section 723‑A, with 
the exception of subsection 7.  If the National Popular Vote for President Act governs the 
manner of appointing presidential electors, counting of ballots must proceed according to 
the ranked-choice method of counting votes as described in section 723‑A, subsection 7.
Sec. 6.  21-A MRSA §803, as repealed and replaced by PL 2023, c. 628, §6, is 
repealed.
Sec. 7.  21-A MRSA §803-A is enacted to read:
§803-A.  Duties of Governor
As soon as possible after the presidential electors are chosen, the Governor shall send 
a certificate of the determination of the electors to the Archivist of the United States under 
the state seal.  The certificate must state the names of the electors and the number of votes 
each candidate for President received statewide and for each congressional district in the 
final round of tabulation under section 723‑A.  The Governor shall deliver 6 certificates 
under the state seal to the electors on or before the first Monday after the 2nd Wednesday 
of December, following their election.
Sec. 8.  21-A MRSA §805, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §7, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Presidential electors.  Except as provided in subsection 2-A, the The presidential 
electors at large shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates 
who received the largest number of votes in the State according to the ranked‑choice 
method of counting votes described in section 723‑A. The presidential electors of each 
congressional district shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential 
candidates who received the largest number of votes in each respective congressional 
district according to the ranked‑choice method of counting votes described in section 
723‑A.
Sec. 9.  21-A MRSA §805, sub-§2-A, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 628, §8, is 
repealed.
Sec. 10.  21-A MRSA c. 17, as amended, is repealed.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the National Popular Vote for President Act and makes changes to 
other election statutes to reflect that repeal.