Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 236
       
       
        
       By Senator Torres
       
       
       
       
       
       25-00513-24                                            2024236__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Agreement Among the States to
    3         Elect the President by National Popular Vote;
    4         providing for enactment of the agreement; providing a
    5         method by which a state may become a member state;
    6         requiring each member state to conduct a statewide
    7         popular election for President and Vice President of
    8         the United States; establishing a procedure for
    9         appointing presidential electors in member states;
   10         providing that the agreement becomes effective under
   11         specified circumstances; providing for the withdrawal
   12         of a member state; requiring notification of member
   13         states when the agreement takes effect in a nonmember
   14         state or when a member state withdraws from the
   15         agreement; providing for termination of the agreement;
   16         providing severability; providing definitions;
   17         providing an effective date.
   18          
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. The Agreement Among the States to Elect the
   22  President by National Popular Vote.—The Agreement Among the
   23  States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote is hereby
   24  enacted into law and entered into by this state with all states
   25  legally joining therein in the form substantially as follows:
   26  
   27                              Article I                            
   28         Membership.—Any state of the United States and the District
   29  of Columbia may become a member of this agreement by enacting
   30  this agreement.
   31  
   32                             Article II                            
   33         Right of the people in member states to vote for President
   34  and Vice President.—Each member state shall conduct a statewide
   35  popular election for President and Vice President of the United
   36  States.
   37  
   38                             Article III                           
   39         Manner of appointing presidential electors in member
   40  states.—Prior to the time set by law for the meeting and voting
   41  by the presidential electors, the chief election official of
   42  each member state shall determine the number of votes for each
   43  presidential slate in each state of the United States and in the
   44  District of Columbia in which votes have been cast in a
   45  statewide popular election and shall add such votes together to
   46  produce a “national popular vote total” for each presidential
   47  slate.
   48         The chief election official of each member state shall
   49  designate the presidential slate with the largest national
   50  popular vote total as the “national popular vote winner.”
   51         The presidential elector certifying official of each member
   52  state shall certify the appointment in that official’s own state
   53  of the elector slate nominated in that state in association with
   54  the national popular vote winner.
   55         At least 6 days before the day fixed by law for the meeting
   56  and voting by the presidential electors, each member state shall
   57  make a final determination of the number of popular votes cast
   58  in the state for each presidential slate and shall communicate
   59  an official statement of such determination within 24 hours to
   60  the chief election official of each other member state.
   61         The chief election official of each member state shall
   62  treat as conclusive an official statement containing the number
   63  of popular votes in a state for each presidential slate made by
   64  the day established by federal law for making a state’s final
   65  determination conclusive as to the counting of electoral votes
   66  by Congress.
   67         In the event of a tie for the national popular vote winner,
   68  the presidential elector certifying official of each member
   69  state shall certify the appointment of the elector slate
   70  nominated in association with the presidential slate receiving
   71  the largest number of popular votes within that official’s own
   72  state.
   73         If, for any reason, the number of presidential electors
   74  nominated in a member state in association with the national
   75  popular vote winner is less than or greater than that state’s
   76  number of electoral votes, the presidential candidate on the
   77  presidential slate that has been designated as the national
   78  popular vote winner shall have the power to nominate the
   79  presidential electors for that state and that state’s
   80  presidential elector certifying official shall certify the
   81  appointment of such nominees.
   82         The chief election official of each member state shall
   83  immediately release to the public all vote counts or statements
   84  of votes as they are determined or obtained.
   85         This article governs the appointment of presidential
   86  electors in each member state in any year in which this
   87  agreement is in effect, on July 20, in states cumulatively
   88  possessing a majority of the electoral votes.
   89  
   90                             Article IV                            
   91         Other provisions.—This agreement shall take effect when
   92  states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes
   93  have enacted this agreement in substantially the same form and
   94  the enactments by such states have taken effect in each state.
   95         Any member state may withdraw from this agreement, except
   96  that a withdrawal occurring 6 months or less before the end of a
   97  President’s term does not become effective until a President or
   98  Vice President has been qualified to serve the next term.
   99         The chief executive of each member state shall promptly
  100  notify the chief executive of all other states when this
  101  agreement has been enacted and has taken effect in that
  102  official’s state, when the state has withdrawn from this
  103  agreement, and when this agreement takes effect generally.
  104         This agreement shall terminate if the electoral college is
  105  abolished.
  106         If any provision of this agreement is held invalid, the
  107  remaining provisions are not affected.
  108  
  109                              Article V                            
  110         Definitions.—For purposes of this agreement, the term:
  111         “Chief election official” means the state official or body
  112  that is authorized to certify the total number of popular votes
  113  for each presidential slate.
  114         “Chief executive” means the Governor of a state of the
  115  United States or the Mayor of the District of Columbia.
  116         “Elector slate” means a slate of candidates who have been
  117  nominated in a state for the position of presidential elector in
  118  association with a presidential slate.
  119         “Presidential elector” means an elector for President and
  120  Vice President of the United States.
  121         “Presidential elector certifying official” means the state
  122  official or body that is authorized to certify the appointment
  123  of the state’s presidential electors.
  124         “Presidential slate” means a slate of two persons, the
  125  first of whom has been nominated as a candidate for President of
  126  the United States and the second of whom has been nominated as a
  127  candidate for Vice President of the United States, or any legal
  128  successors to such persons, regardless of whether both names
  129  appear on the ballot presented to the voter in a particular
  130  state.
  131         “State” means a state of the United States and the District
  132  of Columbia.
  133         “Statewide popular election” means a general election in
  134  which votes are cast for presidential slates by individual
  135  voters and counted on a statewide basis.
  136         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.