Meet Activist Lori Calderone

LWVUS NPV Task Force  profile: Lori Calderone of Maine

Lori Calderone has been working toward passage of National Popular Vote (NPV) legislation in the state of Maine. Even though Maine has most democratic state legislators, the vote for NPV failed by one vote during the last legislative session. Lori responded to questions about the efforts supporting NPV in Maine.  

Please tell us a little about your role in your League.  

I've been a League member just for two years. I was looking for a volunteer opportunity, so they put me on the Advocacy Committee for the state league. I just fell into it. 

Why do you support NPV legislation?

Every single vote cast in every single state and territory should be counted and should matter. Under the Electoral College, millions of voters' ballots do not matter and are lost. Just as with every other elected office in the country, the presidency should be held by the person who wins the most votes.  

What prompted you to focus your energy on passage of NPV?  

The League asked me to serve as representative on the bi-weekly calls that the Florida League was holding (Kathleen Crampton's calls). I'd never heard ofNPV, and it was fascinating. I wanted to do what I could to make sure more people knew about it.  

How are you (or have you been) educating your League members and community groups about NPV?  

We staged a three-city tour in Maine of a NPP educational program. The sessions were conducted by NPV's Eileen Reavey and Ray Haynes, a former Republican congressman from California. We planned to have a train-the-trainer session and take that show on the road this summer and fall, and, who knows, maybe we can. It's not looking that great for public gatherings, however. We scheduled a webinar on April 29, run by NPV, and we are asking our chapters to hold Zoom presentations of Winner Takes All, a 27-minute documentary of Colorado's NPV campaign (with producer consent, and we will credit and compensate him a bit, too). We also will have one-on-one Zoom meetings with people like Ray and our Republican legislators later in the fall. On a grassroots level, we are going to regularly feature a fact-myth buster, graphic, or other informative short blurb on our Facebook page and website beginning shortly. Currently, we are lining up sponsors for re-introduction of the bill in the Maine 2021 legislative session.  

What other groups support (or have supported) your League's effort to pass NPV?  

Common Cause, and a number of local grass roots organizations have supported the effort.  

What has been (or was) the greatest obstacle in your efforts to advance NPV?  

We lost last session (in a blue state) by one vote. Legislators need a deeper understanding of NPV, in order to be armed with arguments to thwart the huge amount of out of state pressure that was put on their constituents, and, therefore, them.  

What have been the most effective arguments for passage of NPV legislation?  

Every vote should matter--and I think that is the strongest reason for NPV. The power of people’s vote cannot be underestimated. The most powerful office in the universe should be held by the person who has the support of the majority of the voters in the country. How quaint! But the most effective arguments to use depend on the arguments the opponents are using. In Maine, the anti-argument is that small states will lose power and that big cities will control the outcome. The NPV site has well researched answers to all the arguments that get raised.  

On a personal level, what has been the most gratifying aspect of your involvement with the NPV initiative? 

I'm an old labor and housing advocate and organizer, and I missed the feeling I felt when people united around an important issue and pushed it through. It's been good to feel that way again, as we slowly make gains on the issue. I think we could use more money in the movement, though.