Following a lengthy debate, members of the Maine House overwhelmingly defeated a bill requiring Maine to elect the president by popular vote. Proponents of the plan tried to convince their seatmates that the current electoral college system is unfair and marginalizes the role of states without large numbers of delegates like Florida. But opponents argued that requiring Maine to go along with the compact for a national popular vote would actually take Maine off the radar screens of national presidential candidates.

State Rep. Pamela Trinward, a Waterville Democrat, had a single question for her House seatmates: What's wrong with guaranteeing that a presidental candidate who receives the most votes wins their election? "Is it such a radical idea?"

But nearly two-thirds of the House voted against a proposal calling for Maine to join a national compact that would change the electoral college system of electing the president by requiring the state to transfer its four electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most number of votes nationally.

Trinward explains the process: "LD 56 adds the state of Maine to a pool of electoral votes. Once the pool reaches 270 electoral votes, then the compact goes into effect, because that would be enough votes to elect the president. At that time, the states in the pool would award their electoral votes as a block, not the candidate that wins their own state, but to the candidate that earned the most votes in all 50 states."

"In 2008, two-thirds of the money that a campaign spent just went to six states," says State Rep. John Tuttle, a Sanford Democrat. Tuttle says switching to a system of electing the president that would require Maine to cast its electoral votes for the candidate with the most votes would put New England back on the map of national politics.

"I heard people say that we won't get any attention in Maine if we shift to popular vote, but what about the way it works now?" Tuttle asked. "In the last month of the 2004 election, more money was spent advertising in the state of Florida than 46 other states combined. People who worry that Maine will get left out under a popular vote seem to ignore that we are already left out in the present picture."

"We are a small, rural state that will not be relevant in future presidential elections if we are part of this compact," said state Rep. Statcy Fitts, a Pittsfield Republican.

Oppostion to the national popular vote bill was voiced by both Republicans like fitts and Democrats, such as Rep. Herb Adams, of Portland. Adams says resentment over Al Gore's much disputed loss to President George W. Bush 10 years ago is no reason to support a plan that he suggests should be a constitutional amendment if it were to be passed at all.

"I know it's tempting to refight the year 2000 presidential election," he said. "You know, in Nirvana somewhere tonight, President Tilden, President Dewey and President Gore gather to sip bitter wine and play "Hail to Chief on a lonely kazoo. But we can't cahnge the past."

The national popular vote bill was defeated 95-50 in the House. It now advances to the Senate.