A proposal to remove Maine from a national popular vote compact and do away with the Electoral College appears to be failing.

The state Senate rejected the Republican proposal Monday (18-16 vote) after some Democrats joined Republicans in the House (76-71 vote) to repeal the popular vote compact, which was only passed last year.

The compact will only be activated after enough states join to control 270 Electoral College votes, which is the minimum number needed to win the presidency. Maine is one of 17 states and Washington DC that are currently part of the popular vote compact, which controls 209 electoral votes

Supporters of the Electoral College say it preserves the voice of rural states like Maine in Presidential elections, while backers of the popular vote say the Electoral College concentrates elections into just a handful of swing states.

The current Electoral College system in Maine awards two electoral votes to the statewide winner and one to the winner in each of the state’s two congressional districts. Kamala Harris won the two statewide electoral and the 1st District in last year’s Presidential election, while Donald Trump won the single 2nd District vote.

Democrats have won six of the last nine popular votes in Presidential elections, although Trump beat Harris in the 2024 election (49.8-48.3 percent).

Governor Janet Mills allowed last year’s passage of the popular vote compact to pass into law without her signature.