Wisconsin is one of a handful of states that presidential candidates treat as the whole ballgame. Every four years, campaigns flood the state with advertising, rallies, and attention — not because Wisconsin voters are special, but because the math of the Electoral College makes the state a prize worth fighting over. Meanwhile, voters in dozens of other states are ignored entirely. That's not democracy working as it should.

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would fix that. Under the compact, all participating states award their electoral votes to whoever wins the most votes nationwide. It only kicks in when enough states — representing 270 electoral votes — have signed on. Right now, 18 states and the District of Columbia representing 222 electoral votes have joined. The compact needs just 48 more. Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes would close that gap significantly.

Virginia just signed on. Michigan legislators are under pressure to act next. The Midwest has a chance to help push this over the finish line before the 2028 presidential election — but only if Wisconsin moves too.

Supporters of the compact include both Democratic and Republican strategists who argue that candidates should have to earn votes everywhere — not just in a few contested counties in a few contested states. Four out of five Americans live in states that receive almost no presidential campaign attention. Wisconsin may be an exception today, but its voters deserve a system that makes every American's vote count equally — not just when the Electoral College math happens to point here.

We urge the Wisconsin Legislature to take up and pass the National Popular Vote bill. The 2026 elections will determine who controls the statehouse. The 2028 presidential election could be determined by what they do next.