LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A House bill introduced in Lansing would axe the state’s 15 votes in the electoral college and instead put Michigan in the National Popular Vote Compact (NPV).

That means states in the NPV would essentially bypass the will of Michigan voters (and the results of the statewide popular vote) and instead lump in the elector votes to whichever presidential candidate won the nationwide popular vote.

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In March, Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) promoted House Bill 4156, which is the bill she’s sponsoring. “I was elected to the Michigan House because I won the most votes — and the same should be true for how we elect our country’s president,” she said. “Fairness and living in a democracy means every voice is heard, and every vote is equal. The National Popular Vote bill ensures that every voter, in every state, will have an equal vote in every presidential election.”

Rep. Rheingans’ colleague State Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) denounced the bill and the Democrats’ efforts to force Michigan into the NPV.  “This is a blatant authoritarian attempt to amplify radical socialists in large cities so Democrats can finally drown out the voices of hard-working rural America,” Friske said. “We owe it to our sons and daughters, grandchildren, and all future generations to preserve the constitutional republic our founders were willing to die for.”

The Electoral College is part of Article II of the U.S. Constitution and exists to ensure balance among the nation’s states and regions. In other words, it keeps large cities like New York and Los Angeles from drowning out the voices of rural residents in smaller states.