Some recent Senate bills of note:

S.B. 386: Make Best Use of Corporate Tax Revenue, Sen. Dan Clodfelter

S.B. 397: Increase Cap on Charter Schools, Sen. Debbie Clary

S.B. 400: No Increase in UNC In-State Tuition or Fees, Sen. Tom Apodaca

S.B. 403: Victims Compensation Amendment, Sen. Doug Berger

S.B. 410: Increase Cig. Tax/Proceeds to MHTF, Sen. Martin Nesbitt

S.B. 417: National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Sen. Clodfelter

S.B. 426: Legislative Compensation, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird

North Carolina voters who enjoyed all the attention and presidential candidate visits last May could see that kind of hoopla every year, according to a popular vote advocate visiting the legislature today.

Barry Fadem, president of National Popular Vote, will be in Raleigh pushing again for North Carolina to join a coalition of states that want to elect the next president by popular vote. The Senate passed such a bill last year, but the House did not. A similar bill is expected to be debated this year.

The legislation wouldn't take effect until it is passed by enough states to total 270 electoral votes, the number needed to elect a president. Once they reach that number, all of those states will award their electors as a bloc to the winner of the national popular vote.

Fadem previously has emphasized that North Carolina would no longer be a safe Republican state that candidates from both parties ignored. Republicans counter that such an agreement would upend the electoral process, because a candidate could lose in North Carolina but still win its electoral votes.

Jerry Meek is backing the national popular vote.

The N.C. Democratic Party chairman has endorsed the idea of electing the president by popular vote by essentially abolishing the Electoral College, according to an e-mail from the National Popular Vote group.

Meek said a national popular vote would increase grassroots involvement, boost voter registration and improve voter turnout — three trends North Carolina witnessed during the recent Democratic primary — and that would be a good thing for the political process regardless of which party you support.

The e-mail also notes that Meek said the National Popular Vote bill in the legislature would be consistent with national party chairman Howard Dean's "50-state strategy" and make every state a battleground state.

The bill is currently on hold in a committee, so Meek's statement could be a signal that state Democrats are seriously considering it even though there are signs that North Carolina may be a battleground state this year.

The legislation would enter North Carolina into a compact to pledge its electors to the popular vote winner. It would only take effect once enough states signed to award the presidency.

North Carolina is uniquely positioned to pass the bill. Though it's gone for the Republican presidential candidate every year since 1976, the majority of both chambers and the governor are Democrats.

Last August, legislators considered divvying up the state's electors by Congressional districts.

Barry Fadem says North Carolinians shouldn't flatter themselves.

The state may be getting a lot of attention from Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton right now, but that will be over when the May 6 primary ends. 

The reason? North Carolina is not a "battleground state," so its votes won't matter.

"Even in California, everyday we read about the candidates coming into North Carolina to campaign in your primary," he told Dome. "The day after your primary? See ya."

The California attorney was in Raleigh today meeting with legislators about a state bill that he says would change that by switching to a national popular vote. The bill, which passed the Senate and will be in the House in the upcoming short session, is being championed by the National Popular Vote.

Unlike previous unsuccessful efforts to abolish the Electoral College, the bill would not attempt to amend the constitution. Instead, it would have North Carolina sign an interstate compact to award its electors to the winner of the national popular vote.

The compact would only take effect once enough states signed to award the presidency.

So far, Maryland, New Jersey and Illinois have signed, bringing the group to 46 out of 270 electoral votes needed, or one-sixth of the way towards its goal. North Carolina would give it another 15, or more than one-fifth of the way.