OGM News flags election pact panic

OGM_News on May 20 posted on X that an election-reform pact had sparked what it called “political panic” among analysts and activists from both parties. The post did not identify new legislation or a fresh interstate deal signed that day, but the language matches a real electoral development from April: Virginia’s entry into the National Popular Vote Compact. That move pushed the compact to 222 electoral votes, according to the compact’s official status page and Virginia coverage published after the bill was signed. Trump supporters and other Republicans have criticized the agreement online, while supporters say it would ensure the presidency goes to the national popular-vote winner. ### What pact was the post referring to? Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed legislation in April adding the state to the National Popular Vote Compact, according to Virginia bill records and multiple April reports. The compact is an agreement among participating states to award their electoral votes to the presidential ticket that wins the most votes nationwide, rather than the candidate who wins each member state individually. (nationalpopularvote.com) The National Popular Vote organization says the agreement had been enacted in 19 jurisdictions possessing 222 electoral votes as of April 13, 2026. That total includes 18 states and Washington, D.C., and leaves the compact 48 electoral votes short of the 270 needed to take effect. ### Why did the post frame it as a 2028 issue? The compact does not change the 2026 midterms, and it would not affect a presidential election unless member states totaling at least 270 electoral votes join. (lis.virginia.gov) Because the next presidential election is in 2028, online discussion has focused on whether additional states could push the compact over the threshold before then. OGM_News’ warning that the pact could shift outcomes toward Democrats by 2028 appears to be an inference tied to the current map of member states. (nationalpopularvote.com) The official compact page says the enacted jurisdictions include California, Illinois, New York, Virginia and other states that have recently leaned Democratic in presidential races. ### What do supporters say the compact would do? (nationalpopularvote.com) Gov. Spanberger said after Virginia joined that votes “count differently” depending on where voters live under the current Electoral College system, according to WSET’s April 15 report. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said he generally believes “the president should be the person that wins the popular vote,” the same report said. (nationalpopularvote.com) Ballotpedia describes the compact as an interstate agreement that would direct member states to award electors to the national popular-vote winner once the 270-vote threshold is met. Supporters have long argued that the system would prevent a candidate from winning the presidency while losing the national vote. ### What are critics objecting to? John Fishwick, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, told WSET that the compact would face a “serious constitutional challenge.” Political analyst David Richards told the station that changing presidential selection this way was “not really the right way to go about it” while the Electoral College remains in the Constitution. (wset.com) (ballotpedia.org) Those objections are central to the Republican and conservative criticism circulating online. The legal argument is not that states lack any authority over electors; Virginia’s own bill summary says Article II gives states authority to decide how electoral votes are awarded. The dispute is over whether states can coordinate that power through an interstate compact aimed at effectively bypassing the Electoral College’s state-by-state outcome. (wset.com) ### What happens next? The National Popular Vote Compact’s next measurable step is 270 electoral votes. The official status page identifies Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as states that could supply the remaining votes needed for the agreement to activate. If no additional states join, the compact remains in place on paper but would not govern the 2028 presidential election in participating states. (nationalpopularvote.com) (lis.virginia.gov)