Is the Electoral College a Problem? Does It Need to Be Fixed? In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore won the popular vote by more than 500,000 ballots, but George Bush became president by winning the Electoral College 271 to 266. The Electoral College was established in the Constitution to protect minority interests and mitigate the possibility of a regional candidate. N.p., n.d. District Plan by Hannah Patzer - Prezi This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. In addition, the bill has been unanimously approved at the committee level in the states of Georgia and Missouri, controlling a combined 27 electoral votes. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Lastly, some Americans believe that there would be an increase in voter turn-out if people felt that their vote was viewed as a significant asset to their country. It sees a healthy and vibrant democracy needing the underpinnings of civil society that rests on the sustained and active engagement of the citizenry and promotes approaches that seek to maximize that involvement. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . NCSL's experts are here to answer your questions and give you unbiased, comprehensive information as soon as you need it on issues facing state legislatures. The NPV movement seeks to create an unfair and unconstitutional system that diminishes the voting rights of citizens throughout the country and raises the prospect of increased voter fraud and. The Fatally Flawed National Popular Vote Plan | Cato at Liberty Blog 27 Major Pros & Cons Of The Electoral College - E&C https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me Just 12 Closely Divided Battleground States Got 96% of 2020 Campaign Events. The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. Their answer is simple: one in which every citizen's vote is equal to every other citizen's vote and one in which the winner of the presidential popular vote, no matter how small his or her percentage is of those who voted, would be elected. 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. 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. (2021, Jun 14). The use of the Electoral College has been the only approach the U.S. has used to gain a President, but this way has generated numerous issues. Past Event - LWV Webinar on Popular Vote - The Buchanan Chronicle The popular vote eliminates this issue too. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. Web. It would eliminate superfluous votes. (See: Electoral Votes by State). That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. The National Popular Vote bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes a majority of the current 538 electoral votes. But NPV could force our electors to disregard the wishes of the . Around six-in-ten U.S. adults (63%) say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency, while 35% favor keeping the current Electoral College system, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 27-July 4, 2022. The bill has passed one chamber in 12 additional states with 96 electoral votes. This brings us to 196 of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the pact. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. Longley, Robert. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election (Archives). Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their votes. In the 2016 election, "swing states" that might vote Republican or Democrat like Wisconsin were targets of candidates Donald J. Trump and Hillary R. Clinton. 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. Where the National Popular Vote Plan Stands. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Lincoln Chafee (D) made his state the latest to sign on. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. That created a voter value of 2.85. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. 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. There are logistical issues that are managed at the local level in each election. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. It happened once, in 1876. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. Ten reasons I support the National Popular Vote | MinnPost 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. In the 2020 general election, a ballot proposition attempted to overturn Colorado's membership to the pact, but the measure failed, 52.3% to 47.7% in the referendum. National Popular Vote Movement - Common Cause | Get Involved To become president of the United States of America, you must be at least 35 years old, have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years and be a natural-born citizen. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. 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. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. Most recently, the bill was passed by a bipartisan 4016 vote in the Republican-controlled Arizona House, 2818 in Republican-controlled Oklahoma Senate, 574 in Republican-controlled New York Senate, and 3721 in Democratic-controlled Oregon House." cons of the national popular vote plan - vidasproductivas.org Popular Vote History & Overview | What Does Popular Vote Mean Majority supports changing Electoral College system for U.S You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. But with the NPV Compact a change in party control of just one or two states could restore the old system of electing the president and then four years later it could be changed back. Louisiana voters should decide who receives Louisiana's electoral votes. Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. In fact, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which has now been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, totaling 196 electoral votes, is an actionable and realistic . what connection type is known as "always on"? The plan would not get rid of the Electoral College. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. Congressional Digest The National Popular Vote Is there a conservative case for National Popular Vote? E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. 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. 5. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. 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. According to Article II, Section 1, "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress." ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. The Congressional District method would allocate electoral votes based on the winner of each congressional district. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz often split about 60% of the GOP vote, which allowed Donald Trump to win early primaries with 35% of the vote. National popular vote - frequently asked questions - Common Cause Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. If some of the 50 states and DC cannot certify their popular votes by the December deadline that could create a constitutional crisis where we would not have all of the state Electoral College votes certified by the time the Electoral College is required to vote according to the Constitution. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. Change). The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. cons of the national popular vote plan However, Hilary Clinton won 2.6 million more popular votes nationwide than Donald Trump. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. 8. But we're closer to that than you might think 15 states and the District of Columbia have already signed on, providing 196 electoral votes of the needed 270. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. 3. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. Each states electoral votes are tallied by Congress in the House chamber by House and Senate representatives on the 6th day of January following the Presidential election. However, many people believe that a direct popular election is more democratic and fair than the Electoral College. 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. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. Gov Flashcards | Quizlet By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. National Popular Vote - Pros and Cons "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. A Critique of the National Popular Vote | Cato Institute Longley, Robert. Here are six reasons why legislators should reject this attempt to jettison our electoral system: 1. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. 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. Electoral College Alternatives: What Are the Other Options? - The Daily Dot This blog post is a joint effort with Leslie Francis, former executive director of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. It's time to abolish the Electoral College - Brookings 9 Pros and Cons of Electoral College | APECSEC.org (LogOut/ F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. Would you like to get a custom essay? Bosque de Palabras Security would be improved across the country. That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. 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. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Richard F. Potthoff looks critically at a proposed alternative way of electing the US president, the National Popular Vote plan, where all states in an interstate compact which cover 270 or more electoral votes would cast their electoral votes for the candidate who won the nationwide vote, no matter who wins their state. 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. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. By adding this new interstate compact to the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect our president we are in fact making this system even more complicated and even harder for the voters to understand. 1. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. I will explain that in another blog post. Cookie Notice sale of united methodist church property. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800
If the election is based off a popular vote, each of these areas would need to be closely examined in real-time, which would enhance the security of each vote that is cast. But the much greater danger to American democracy is that direct elections may make it possible for a president to be elected by no more than 30 percent of the vote, regardless of his or her suitability for office, so long as there is sufficient money and a clever media advisor behind the effort. Under the electoral college system (and other voting systems not based on popular voting), it only takes one extra vote more than the other candidate to create the needed results for the election. 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. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. The states that join the NPV Compact will not be able to certify their Electoral College Votes until all 50 states and DC certify their state popular votes and any mandated/requested recounts since the Compact state ECVs are dependent on the winner of the national popular vote and not just their own state popular votes. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. Thats how politics works in America. Post author: Post published: June 29, 2022 Post category: Uncategorized Post comments: paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale 7. In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. That could lead to a very bad situation where, instead of the people voting in November to determine who the next president is, one or two states could effectively decide who becomes the next president simply by joining or withdrawing from the NPV Compact and changing the rules on how the votes for president are counted in the next election. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. And in all states but Maine and Nebraska, the candidate who receives the most votes in that state is awarded all of its electoral votes, whether the split is 51% to 49% or 99% to 1%. Cons: Smaller states don't get as much of a say and people would demand a national recount National Bonus Plan Winner of popular vote gets extra 102 electoral votes Pros: No winner of popular vote losing overall Cons: Basically exactly like the Direct plan District Plan Win popular vote in each district, you get one electoral vote. Hillary Clinton, but won the electoral vote to become the 45thPresident of the United States. First it would be relatively easy to implement. [Add switching votes of losing party to the other partys voter totals in every state using the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system (except for 5 EC votes in Maine and Nebraska that are awarded proportionally instead of by Winner-Take-All.]. According to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, some proponents of the Electoral College argue that it isolates election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout. cons of the national popular vote plan If you need to flag this entry as abusive. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. The National Popular Vote, Explained | Brennan Center for Justice In theory that could happen every four years. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. Feb 25, 2023. 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. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. As a result, an agreement between a group of states to cast all of their electoral votes in a similar manner, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan passes constitutional muster. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. Now, the states are considering the National Popular Vote plan, a system that, while not doing away with the Electoral College system, would modify it to ensure that the candidate winning the national popular vote is ultimately elected president. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. The states would implement this plan once enough states controlling 270 electoral votes have signed on, guaranteeing that the national popular vote winner will win the presidency.. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . Electing a president who did not have broad regional support could lead to a fractured and less cohesive country, according to the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. Many people may feel that any major change in how we elect the president should be in the Constitution and not in a legal loop hole even if its legal and technically constitutional. However, this also means that regions with a quite low population density will almost have no influence on the election outcome at all since they only have far too few votes to make a real difference. Image the country thinks it is going to elect the president by National Popular Vote and then changing back to using the old Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system just four months before an election. Definition and Examples, How Political Party Convention Delegates are Chosen, What Is a Caucus? The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. The National Bonus Plan maintains the Electoral College voting system but adds 102 bonus electoral votes to the existing 538 votes. The National Popular Vote (NPV) refers to the concept of allocating a state's presidential electors to the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide regardless of the state results in a presidential election. That would likely reduce the number of voters who cast a ballot in each election as most people are more concerned about local impacts than national policies. It could encourage voter turnout. Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. Why National Popular Vote Is a Bad Idea | HuffPost Latest News 5. Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue.
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