Wisconsin Governor-elect David Crowley wants presidential elections decided by the national popular vote, sparking debate over the electoral influence his state holds. Crowley said he would discuss changes with lawmakers after Democrats captured the governorship and both legislative chambers.

Wisconsin Democrats have previously proposed joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, under which participating states would award their electors to the nationwide vote winner once members collectively hold at least 270 electoral votes.

The compact would change how those states allocate electors without formally abolishing the Electoral College. Its supporters currently account for 222 electoral votes, leaving the agreement short of activation. Democratic victories in midterms across the country could provide even more opportunities to close that gap; Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has also expressed support for a national popular vote.

Wisconsin Republicans argue that the change would sacrifice the state’s influence and could award its electors to a candidate who lost Wisconsin.

Much of Wisconsin’s political value comes from its uncertainty. Candidates devote excessive resources to a narrowly divided state because even a small shift can deliver its entire electoral vote. Joining an activated compact would trade that bargaining position for participation in a nationwide tally, where a Wisconsin vote would count as much as one cast elsewhere…

This man just got inside a Cybercab, Elon Musk’s new car that has no steering wheel or pedals.

What happens next will shock everyone.

Click here to see this exclusive footage.

Supporters consider that equality the point. Republican votes in California and Democratic votes in reliably Republican states would contribute to the outcome instead of being overwhelmed by statewide majorities. Campaigns would have reason to pursue votes wherever they could obtain them economically. But critics point to a different cost: Wisconsin could favor one candidate while its electors helped install another, weakening the connection between the state’s result and its constitutional role.

The partisan consequences are less predictable than either side is suggesting. Campaigns would need to vastly change their spending, turnout operations, and geographic priorities under new rules, making past popular vote totals an imperfect guide to future winners. Under this scenario, those looking ahead to strategize for 2028 will likely put more of an emphasis on pursuing votes in states they once ignored, as the national margin would matter more than the handful of battlegrounds that now decide the presidency.

The compact now has a plausible route to activation, making this more than another argument over electoral theory. Its members hold 222 electoral votes; Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and either Arizona or Nevada could supply enough to reach 270, with Democrats controlling the governorship and legislature in all five states.

Passage would still require agreement within those majorities, followed by likely constitutional challenges that could reach the Supreme Court. A different system for 2028 is possible, although campaigns cannot yet plan on it.

A national tally would rewrite campaign strategies, giving campaigns a reason to court voters they now largely disregard, from California Republicans to Democrats in the rural South. Wisconsin would lose some of the attention its narrow margins command as candidates sought votes wherever they could win them most efficiently. If the compact takes effect, winning in 2028 could require both parties to reconsider which Americans they can afford to ignore.