The National Vote is a left-of-center political organization that mainly supports efforts to replace the United States Electoral College’s role in presidential elections with a direct popular vote by means of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Background

The National Vote, LLC (also known simply as The National Vote) was cofounded by left-leaning political activists, Alan Moghul, a doctor specializing in cancer research, and Keileigh Dantzer, an Indiana-based member of the League of Women Voters. ¹ The organization describes its status as an “educational, political, and social change organization” and cautions prospective donors that “donations are not tax deductible, in accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules.” ²

Policy

According to its mission statement, The National Vote mainly aims at replacing the U.S. Electoral College, which is the constitutionally required system for electing the president and vice president entailing the assembly of a group of electors appointed by the states, with a system entailing the “direct” election of the president and vice president via an amendment to the United States Constitution. ³

To that end, the organization has supported various pieces of aligned legislation, some of which involve broader left-of-center election-advocacy objectives, sponsored by Democratic politicians, including “Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to Abolish the Electoral College. . .” (H.J. Res. 14) sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) on January 11, 2021, which did not come to a vote; the For the People Act of 2021 (H.R. 1) sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), which was passed by the House on March 3, 2021, but not passed by the Senate; the Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747) sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on September 14, 2021, which was killed due to a failed vote for cloture; the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4) sponsored by Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) on February 26, 2019, which was passed by the House but not passed by the Senate; the Protecting Our Democracy Act (H.R. 5314) sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) on September 21, 2021, which was passed by the House but not passed by the Senate; and the Equality Act (H.R. 5) sponsored by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) on February 18, 2021, which was passed by the House but not passed by the Senate. ^{4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

Other than support for ending the Electoral College, the National Vote also supports efforts to end the Senate’s supermajority filibuster rule, establish statehood for the District of Columbia, establish Election Day as a federal holiday, reduce the interregnum between presidential elections and inaugurations, and grant suffrage to former felons as well as residents of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. ⁴

People

Alan Moghul

Alan Moghul is a co-founder and executive director of The National Vote. Previously, Moghul, worked in cancer research at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Pennsylvania State University and has worked as an adjunct professor of biology. Additionally, Moghul sat on the board of directors of the Responsible Hospitality Institute, a hospitality standards nonprofit, from 2003 through 2007. ^{11 1}

Keileigh Dantzer

Keileigh Dantzer is a co-founder and vice president for social media of the National Vote, as well as a member of the League of Women Voters, a left-leaning advocacy organization, and a committee member of the education committee and advisory board of Count US IN, a left-of-center Indiana-based voting issues organization. ¹

1. “Our Staff.” The National Vote. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.thenationalvote.com/staff
2. “Help Support Our Mission.” The National Vote. Accessed February 27, 2023.  https://www.thenationalvote.com/donate
3.  “Our Mission.” The National Vote. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.thenationalvote.com/our-mission
4. “The National Vote supports the following reform strategies.” The National Vote. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.thenationalvote.com/issues-we-support
5. “H.R. 5314 (117th): Protecting Our Democracy Act.” GovTrack. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr5314
6. “H.R.5 – Equality Act.” Congress.Gov. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22equality%20act%22%5D%7D&r=2&s=1
7. “S. 2747 (117th): Freedom to Vote Act.” GovTrack. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/s2747
8. “H.R. 4 (116th): Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019.” GovTrack. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr4
9. “H.J.Res. 14 (117th): Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the electoral college and to provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the …” GovTrack. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hjres14
10. “H.R. 1 (117th): For the People Act of 2021.” GovTrack. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr1
11. “Planning, Managing and Policing Hospitality Zones.” Responsible Hospitality Institute. December 2006. Accessed February 27, 2023. http://rhiweb.org/resource/guide/practical_guide.pdf