Repeals authorizing Rhode Island to join an interstate compact, which would allow Presidents and Vice Presidents to be elected by a national popular vote rather than the electoral college.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would withdraw Rhode Island from an agreement called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Rhode Island previously voted to join this multi-state agreement, which is designed so that if enough states sign on, presidential elections would effectively be decided by whichever candidate receives the most individual votes nationwide, rather than through the current Electoral College system.

Under the current Electoral College system, each state is assigned a certain number of electoral votes, and whichever presidential candidate wins a state typically receives all of that state's electoral votes. The compact Rhode Island joined works differently — participating states would agree to award all of their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the overall national popular vote, regardless of who won in their individual state. The compact would only take effect if states representing at least 270 electoral votes (enough to win the presidency) joined.

This bill would undo Rhode Island's participation in that agreement entirely. If passed, Rhode Island would no longer be committed to awarding its electoral votes based on the national popular vote total, and would return to operating under standard Electoral College rules. This primarily affects how Rhode Island's four electoral votes are allocated in presidential elections.

It is worth noting that the bill was postponed at the sponsor's own request in March 2026, meaning the sponsor chose to pause its progress, and its future consideration is uncertain at this time.