For example, if a state used NPV and voted for candidate A, but candidate B received the most votes nationwide, the state would allocate its presidential electors to candidate B. popular vote pros and cons - sky-cover.co.uk With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. The itineraries of presidential candidates in battleground states (and their allocation of other campaign resources) demonstrate what every gubernatorial or senatorial candidate in every state already knows namely that when every vote matters, the campaign must be run in every part of the state. But in practice it could happen every 10 or 20 years when the Electoral College votes change because the congressional boundaries change with the new population census. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. In a stark example, sparsely populated Wyoming has three votes and a population of about 580,000, giving its individual voters far more clout in the election than their millions of counterparts in densely populated states like Florida, California and New York. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). A shift of a relative handful of votes in one or two states would have elected the second-place candidate in six of the last 12 presidential elections. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. For example: States already have the power to award their electors to the winner of the national popular vote, although this would be disadvantageous to the state that did so unless it was joined simultaneously by other states that represent a majority of electoral votes. National popular vote - frequently asked questions However that presumably rare exception happened in the 2000 election when Florida could not complete their statewide recount in time for the Electoral College deadline and the Supreme Court forced Florida to use their first vote count without a statewide recount. The National Popular Vote compact would have the same effect as a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College but has the benefit of retaining the power to control presidential elections in states hands. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. Based on Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution granting the states the exclusive power to control how their electoral votes are awarded, the National Popular Vote plan requires the legislature of each participating state to enact a bill agreeing that the state will award all of its electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, regardless of the outcome of the popular vote in that specific state. On Dec. 14, as electors gathered across the country to cast their ballots, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, 36 more than needed to win. If this happens many people in the red states will not feel that the change is legitimate even if its legal and technically constitutional. Pros And Cons Of Campaign Finance Reform - 640 Words | 123 Help Me Thats how the framers of the Constitution set it up. Currently, Republicans control 26 state delegations, while Democrats control 22. What Is The District Plan? This Electoral College Reform - Bustle Winner Takes All: The Popular Vote Versus Electoral College I will explain that in another blog post. As of July 2020, a National Popular Vote bill has been signed into law in 16 states controlling a total of 196 electoral votes, including 4 small states, 8 medium-sized states, 3 big states (California, Illinois, and New York), and the District of Columbia. Electoral College vs. popular vote in the United States Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. I fear that most, if not all, of the states signing onto the NPV Compact will be just blue states. Analyzes how william j.d. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. On a close popular vote, often defined as a difference of 0.5% or less in the tabulated results, an automatic recount would likely be triggered. popular vote pros and cons-shootings in south dallasshootings in south dallas Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. on WordPress.com. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. During a popular vote, a candidate who withdraws from the race or dies before the election can be held could still be on the ballot. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. Under the National Popular Vote plan,the compact would take effect only when enabling legislation has been enacted by states collectively possessing a majority of the electoral votes:270 of 538 total. 13 Early College High School Pros and Cons, 18 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period, 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Leasing a Car, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing, 24 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of a C Corporation, 16 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Mediation, 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gated Community, 17 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups, 17 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds, 19 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Annuities, 17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising. Then, election officials in all participating states would choose the electors sworn to support thepresidential candidate who received the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. 48 Vitosha Boulevard, ground floor, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria, Samploon, Inc. 2023. Under the electoral college, the majority votes of states assign electoral votes to a candidate, which then creates a majority total required for a victory. It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Voters in spectator states, including five of the nations 10 most populous states (California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey), and 12 of the 13 least populous states (all but New Hampshire) have no real incentive to go to the polls as their votes do not affect the outcome of the election. Outgrowing the Electoral College - Purdue Policy Research Institute Blog America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. 3. We have seen this outcome in the 2016 Presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and in the 2000 election between George H.W. National Popular Vote Movement - Common Cause | Get Involved An individuals vote doesnt make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that could determine the ability of state law enforcement agencies to use civil asset forfeiture, a practice that four states have abolished entirely. Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. Mr. Biden was leading in the popular vote, with more than 81 million votes. President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. 1. Cons of Electoral College. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. The National Association of Plan Advisors is a non-profit professional society. When you vote for a presidential candidate, you are actually voting for a group of electors from your state who have all pledged to vote for your candidate. In the early 19th century, many states ratified an approach that would allow the candidate with the most votes in that state to be the winner. Our experts will write for you an essay on any topic, with any deadline and requirements from scratch, Electoral College and National Popular Vote Pros and Cons. The National Popular Vote plan would eliminate what critics of the Electoral College system point to as the "winner-take-all" rule - the awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in that state. 27 Major Pros & Cons Of The Electoral College " The Electoral College needs to go, because it's made our society less and less democratic." Pete Buttigieg, Politician Advantages & Disadvantages of the Electoral College The Electoral College is an organ that elects the president of the United States. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors and a majority of 270 electoral votes is mandatory to nominate the President. So you run a campaign designed to maximize your votes in those few largest states. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. It would eliminate superfluous votes. People call them faithless electors. In 2016, seven electors 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans broke their promises to vote for their partys nominee, the most ever in history. Why or why not? The same thing happened in 2000. University of Colorado Boulder While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. All Rights Reserved, How 2016 put pressure on the Electoral College. The Electoral College was born at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The Electoral College was devised at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Sets found in the same folder. This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Most are, and it helps to think of voting on a state-by-state basis, Professor Amar said. It could help to reduce partisanship. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. When the Constitution was set in place in 1789, the U.S. elected its first president. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. The proportional plan retains electoral votes, but awards the votes in each state based on the percentage of votes received in each state (regardless of the districts from which the voters come) by the competing . This unique system of electing presidents is a big reason why Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. It was a great idea in 1787 but the country has changed since 1787 and the people today want to elect the president by a simple, direct popular vote where whoever gets the most votes wins like we do in every other election in the country. For example, if a candidate was very popular in New York City, Los Angeles and other large cities, she might not need to earn votes from other areas of the country. If the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact becomes law it would be an excellent first step to help get a future amendment to the Constitution to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect the president with a national popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. ThoughtCo. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. Although it is sometimes conjectured that a national popular election would focus only on big cities, it is clear that this would not be the case. Before the 2016 election, the largest vote deficit in the popular vote was Al Gore securing over 500,000 votes more than George W. Bush. A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. Following U.S. election results on a TV in a restaurant in Shanghai on Nov. 4. does not determine the winner of the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact. This advance is referred to as the winner-take-all approach. Under the current structure of the electoral college, the focus of a presidential campaign is on the so-called battleground states. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. National Popular Vote is a constitutional and practical way to implement nationwide popular election of the President a goal traditionally supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. The New York Times called the last two states on its map on Nov. 13: Georgias 16 electoral votes for Mr. Biden and North Carolinas 15 for Mr. Trump. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. The Compact ensures that every vote, in every state, will matter in every presidential election. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. Would they like to see the system changed? 1. After all, the Electoral College makes it possible that a candidate who wins the majority of the votes could still lose the election. If the presidential election were switched to the popular vote, then it would only take about 35% of the vote for a candidate to win. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. That means some voters, like Republicans in California or Democrats in Mississippi, are voting without power and without attention from their preferred candidates each year. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress (Senators and Representatives) is the total number of electoral votes it is allowed. Lastly, it may cause a third-party candidate to prevail and win, which would allow Americans to be given more choices besides the two primary parties (Richards). In 2004, for example, candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry campaigned heavily in states such as Nevada while ignoring political issues in New York, a state that Kerry was sure to win, according to the University of the Pacific. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. cons of the national popular vote planproperty management without a license in texas aot 4, 2022 12:34 . The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. By continuing well assume youre on board with our, https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Select a writer from a large pool of experts. Policy Research Discuss. It would reduce the threshold necessary to win the office. Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. National Archives:U.S. The Electoral College - Top 3 Pros and Cons Lara Maupin has a Masters Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from George Washington University and a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. 4 terms. Favouring the Reform of the Electoral College. The National Popular Vote Plan is an alternative system that would still use electors to cast their votes but instead it would give each state's votes to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote. It was a compromise between those who wanted direct popular elections for president and those who preferred to have Congress decide. Gives too few states too much electoral power. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. That means a candidate who receives a majority of their votes in a high-delegate state, such as California, could make a dramatic impact on the rest of the election. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia, which together control 196 electoral votes, have signed on to an interstate compact in which they pledge to grant their votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. Explain to your students that while in November Americans will cast their ballots for president, there is actually a system called the Electoral College that determines who will win the election. The total number of electoral votes assigned to each state varies depending on population, but each state has at least three, and the District of Columbia has had three electors since 1961. It could encourage voter turnout. The Electoral College also inspires many what-if scenarios, some of them more likely than others. All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. Electoral College Pros and Cons "Electoral College Pros and Cons." They have only won the popular vote once. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. Reduces voter participation by creating a "my vote doesn't matter" feeling. The National Popular Vote would go into effect when states controlling 270a simple majorityof the total 538 electoral votes. Longley, Robert. Inkwell | Everything You Need to Know About the National Popular Vote 211 Next https://www.thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409 (accessed May 1, 2023). If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. To avoid another election that differs from . Selected students then present to the class as a whole. In the 2020 election California did not certify their votes until Friday, December 11, only 3 days before the Electoral College met on Monday, December, 14. The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. If there is a tie vote in a states delegation, the states vote would not count. 1. Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. Retrieved from https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Should the Electoral College Be Abolished, Pros for The Electoral College in the United States, Electoral College is Undemocratic but We Have no Better System, The Electoral College Should Be Terminated, The Electoral College Annotated Bibliography. Policy Research - National Conference of State Legislatures The last amendment, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, was ratified nearly 200 years after it was originally proposed. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from 89 percent of Democrats and only 23 percent of Republicans. It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. This hybrid system means that more weight is given to a single vote in a small state than the vote of someone in a large state, leading to outcomes at times that have been at odds with the popular vote. 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote - Vittana.org What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections? Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. Electoral college reform Flashcards | Quizlet 2. Because of how the system is set up, it is possible for one candidate to win the popular vote and another to win the electoral vote. However, many people believe that a direct popular election is more democratic and fair than the Electoral College. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. Critics, however, argue that Founders reasoning is no longer relevant as todays voters are better-educated and have virtually unlimited access to information and to the candidates stances on the issues. The National Popular Vote effort is now halfway to its goal of electing future presidents via the popular vote, after Rhode Island . This is a situation that has caused controversy in the election years of of 1800, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016 when the elected president won the Electoral College and the presidency but did not win the popular vote. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. ThoughtCo, Feb. 17, 2021, thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409. Additionally, the Founders reasoned that the system would prevent states with larger populations from having an unequal influence on the election. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. And finally, the Electoral College doesnt work today anywhere near how the Founding Fathers intended it to work when they created it back in 1787. A popular vote election takes all ballots that are cast, counts them, and declares the winner based on who received the most votes. Because its so hard to get an amendment to the Constitution passed that means that once it becomes law it will probably remain so for a long time because the bar to change it back is so high. Anyone can read what you share. If you need 321 electoral votes to win, and you can get 102 by winning the national 354 popular plurality, you need only 219 of the state electoral votes. The National Popular Vote stems from the winner-take-all approach that validates the presidential candidate interactions with only 4 out of 50 dates during their campaign. (They dont always do so.). On average, studies show that falls in line with historical averages showing around 60 percent of eligible voters casting a vote in presidential election years. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Even though we will be able to elect the president by national popular vote using the The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, eventually the rules for how we elect the president should be an official part of the Constitution. To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one or 270 electoral votes. PDF The Direct Election Plan - tesd.net