Holberg, Garofalo Author Bill to Elect President by Popular Vote, Rendering Electoral College Mute

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On Feb. 14, State Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-District 36B), of Farmington, and State Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-District 36A), of Lakeville, introduced a bill that would offer the presidency to the candidate who receives the popular vote, rendering the Electoral College obsolete.

The bill, HF0495, makes its way to the house floor annually, yet never makes it to the Governor’s desk despite broad, bi-partisan support.

Under the current system of electing the President, a candidate may win a majority of the Electoral College without having a majority of the nationwide popular vote, such as President George W. Bush did in 2000 when Al Gore captured the popular vote.

The bill, which went to the Government Operations and Elections committee, would enter the state into a compact entitled the "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote."

Under the compact, all of the members of Minnesota’s Electoral College would cast their vote for the candidate who won the popular vote, not necessarily the state’s vote.

In other bills introduced last week, Garofalo introduced two bills that would appropriate more than $3 million toward projects around Lake Byllesby in Cannon Falls. The first bill, HF0490, would appropriate $1.5 million through a bond sale to complete the Lake Byllesby Dam spillway project. The second bill, HF0491, would appropriate another $1.5 million for a pedestrian bridge to span the Cannon River in Lake Byllesby Regional Park.

Holberg also authored HF0601, which is a bill that would amend the current laws relating to data practices for government entities. The bill would make it optional for government entities to make public, appraisal data on government owned real estate.

State Sen. Dave Thompson (R-District 36) of Lakeville, authored SF0344, a bill that would limit the availability of evidence derived from a collective law process, in the court room for civil and criminal proceedings.

The bill states: “A person cannot be examined as to any communication or document, including work notes, made or used in the course of or because of mediation pursuant to an agreement to mediate or a collaborative law process pursuant to an agreement to participate in collaborative law.”

Thompson also introduced SF0352, which is a bill that makes statutory conforming amendments relating to civil actions. The bill also makes assignments for receiverships and creditors.