Count again. Of the 12 of the 13 lowest population states (3-4 electoral votes),
 6 regularly vote Republican (AK, ID, MT, WY, ND, and SD), and 
6 regularly vote Democratic (RI, DE, HI, VT, ME, and DC) in presidential elections.<p>Similarly, the 25 smallest states have been almost equally noncompetitive. They voted Republican or Democratic 12-13 in 2008 and 2012.<p>In the 25 smallest states in 2008, the Democratic and Republican popular vote was almost tied (9.9 million versus 9.8 million), as was the electoral vote (57 versus 58).<p>In the 25 smallest states in 2008, the Democratic and Republican popular vote was almost tied (9.9 million versus 9.8 million), as was the electoral vote (57 versus 58).<p>Now political clout comes from being among the handful of battleground states.  80% of states and voters are ignored by presidential campaign polling, organizing, ad spending, and visits. Their states’ votes were conceded months before by the minority parties in the states, taken for granted by the dominant party  in the states, and  ignored by all parties in presidential campaigns.<p>State winner-take-all laws negate any simplistic mathematical equations about the relative power of states based on their number of residents per electoral vote. Small state math means absolutely nothing to presidential campaign polling, organizing, ad spending, and visits, or to presidents once in office.<p>In 2012, 24 of the nation&#x27;s 27 smallest states received no attention at all from presidential campaigns after the conventions  after Mitt Romney became the presumptive Republican nominee on April 11. They were ignored despite their supposed numerical advantage in the Electoral College. In fact, the 8.6 million eligible voters in Ohio received more campaign ads and campaign visits from the major party campaigns than the 42 million eligible voters in those 27 smallest states combined.<p>Support for a national popular vote is strong in every smallest state surveyed in recent polls among Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters, as well as every demographic group<p>Among the 13 lowest population states, the National Popular Vote bill has passed in nine state legislative chambers, and been enacted by 4 jurisdictions.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.NationalPopularVote.com" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.NationalPopularVote.com</a>