National Popular Vote Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Los Altos, California, launched in 2006 by Barry Fadem and John Koza, and led by Fadem, Koza and businessman, reform advocate and past Independence Party candidate for Governor of New York B. Thomas Golisano. Its purpose, according to its official website, is "to study, analyze and educate the public regarding a proposal to provide for the nationwide popular election of the President", and it champions the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
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The proposal
National Popular Vote's proposal is a type of electoral college reform also known as the Amar Plan.
The group's official website describes their approach as follows: "Nationwide popular election of the President can be implemented if the states join together to pass identical state laws awarding all of their electoral votes to the presidential candidate receiving the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The proposed state legislation would come into effect only when it has been enacted, in identical form, by enough states to elect a President -- that is, by states possessing a majority (270) of the 538 electoral votes."
Progress
Within the first several months of its 2006 launch and media campaign, National Popular Vote's proposal began to make progress in various state legislatures. Early action occurred both in large Democratic strongholds California, New York, and Illinois, as well as in medium-sized swing states such as Colorado, Missouri, and Louisiana.
Some have speculated that the organization is being poorly advised and lacks the political strategy to successfully pass the initiative in state legislatures. Particularly, the organization has failed to garner Republican support for the proposal given the Republican National Committee's formal declaration of opposition.
Kinde Durkee scandal
National Popular Vote is one of the nonprofit organizations whose funds may have been embezzled in the "Kinde Durkee Scandal."