The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. Definition and Examples. Con:not Eliminate possibility that loser of the popular vote can still win the electoral vote The Proportional Plan A proposed reform where each presidential candidate would receive the percent of electoral votes that they win from each state Proportional Plan Pro:Possible for loser of popular vote to win presidency. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. 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." In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. It could encourage voter turnout. There are a number of pros for this method. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. In summary, a popular vote is simply a vote in which the individual or issue with the most total votes from a population of voters is the winner. In 6 Elections, 2 Near-Misses (2020, 2004) and 2 Second-Place Presidents (2016, 2000) National Popular Vote Has Been Enacted into Law in 16 Jurisdictions with 195 Electoral Votes. . A popular vote election takes all ballots that are cast, counts them, and declares the winner based on who received the most votes. Start and finish your paper with ease. 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. Common Cause 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. (LogOut/ 4. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. 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. Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. The pros and cons of the popular vote structure of an election allow for the majority to have their say in who they wish to serve. 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. 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. But for those people who feel that changing how we elect the president should only be done by constitutional amendment they will feel that using the NPV Compact will undermine the legitimacy of the process even though its perfectly legal and constitutional. pros and cons." dave leip's atlas of u.s. presidential elections. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. But NPV could force our electors to disregard the wishes of the . 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. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less. Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. 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 alternative view of democracy is more complex; it is one that includes but is not limited to the pursuit of equality. National Popular Vote Plan page 3 that non-member states that fail to hold such elections will not be included in the determination of 'the national popular vote winner.' This sidesteps the problem and provides an incentive for all states (non-members as well as members) to (continue to) hold such elections. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. 9. List of the Cons of Proportional Representation. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. On April 15, 2014 Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York State quietly signed into law the National Popular Vote, making New York the 10th state -- along with the District of Columbia -- to support this effort, while also boosting the total numbers to 165 of the 270 electoral votes needed to make a true national popular vote a reality. 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. With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. tobin james the blend 2017 ; real estate marketing solutions; cons of the national popular vote plan; lassi kefalonia shops cons of the national popular vote plan The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. As of now, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Delaware and Oregon. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The National Popular Vote plan does not do away with the Electoral College system, an action that would require a constitutional amendment. 7. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). National Popular Vote values rural and urban voters equally. Proportional Plan 3. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. Ken Bickers. The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. Only Nebraska and Maine do not. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. The country thinks we are going to elect the president using the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system tans and then four months before the election we change to the National Popular Vote Compact system and elect the president by whoever gets the most popular votes. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. 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. An individuals vote doesnt make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. Once effective, states could withdraw from the compact at any time except during the six-month window between July 20 of an election year and Inauguration Day (January 20). Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Education, Explore state by state cost analysis of US colleges in an interactive article, Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections: The Electoral College, University of the Pacific: Electoral College Reform, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School: The Electoral College. 2. What would happen during a switch to the popular vote would be unknown. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. 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 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. N.p., n.d. In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. Yes. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. Here are the Cons of the Electoral College 1. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. Unless the national popular vote was very close, or there were all lot of recounts outstanding, the Compact states in most cases would effectively know what the outcome would be and could be prepared to certify their state votes very quickly to make the Electoral College meeting date deadline. As the National Popular Vote (NPV) movement steps up its effort to impose a direct election for president, attempting to enlist states with a sufficient number of electors to constitute a majority (268) and to bind them to the winner of the national popular vote, those states considering the proposal might first reflect on the nightmare aftermath 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 2016, Hillary Clinton had more than 10 million of these votes, while Donald Trump had more than 8.3 million, even though Trump won 30 states and Clinton won 20 and the District of Columbia. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. Heres how. The National Popular Vote initiative transpired in 2006. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. Electoral college reform proposals include (1) the district plan, awarding each state's two at-large electoral votes to the statewide popular vote winners, and one electoral vote to the winning candidates in each congressional district; (2) the proportional plan, awarding electoral votes in states in direct proportion to the popular vote gained Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. And that would undermine the legitimacy of the NPV among those people. Today the Democrats want to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system with a direct popular vote and the Republicans adamantly want to keep it. (LogOut/ Candidates get one vote for every congressional district they win, and then two votes for winning the state-wide vote. Here is the entire text of the proposed "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." Tweet Email this More on The Electoral College: Honorable Steve Cohen Evidence as to how a nationwide presidential campaign would be run can be found by examining the way presidential candidates currently campaign inside battleground states. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. These battleground or swing states receive 7% more federal grants, twice as many presidential disaster declarations, more Superfund enforcement exemptions, and more No Child Left Behind law exemptions (National Popular Vote). This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. on WordPress.com. And that would lead to chaos in how political parties campaign for president and could also undermine the legitimacy of the process. All samples were added by students. National Popular Vote (NPV) was founded in 2006 by lottery scratch-card inventor John Koza and election lawyer Barry Fadem to lobby for an "interstate compact" for states to deliver their electoral votes for President to the "winner" of the national popular vote. 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. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. (2020, December 16). The senators in the U.S. Senate make up two votes in addition to the votes that represent the number of its members in the U.S. House of Representatives (Archives). https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). Watch out! 1. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. 622 By John Samples The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. Without any sort of broad support, the politics of the country could become even more fractured than they already are. It is also true that no president since 1824 has received the votes of a majority of the eligible voters and 18 presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Americans are still bent up and flustered on how an individual could lose the popular vote, but still, be given the upper hand in Electoral College votes. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. The National Bonus Plan maintains the Electoral College voting system but adds 102 bonus electoral votes to the existing 538 votes. (LogOut/ Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. 5. 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. 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. But the national popular vote plan doesn't require a . 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. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. This move would ensure that the Presidency would be given to the candidate that received the most popular votes all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 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 Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. 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. 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. To date, the bill has passed at least one legislative chamber in 9 states possessing 82 combined electoral votes: AR, AZ, ME, MI, MN, NC, NV, OK, and OR. http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/. 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. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. 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. Hence, the National Popular Vote plan is an interstate compact a type of state law authorized by the U.S. Constitution that enables states to enter into a legally enforceable, contractual obligation to undertake agreed joint actions, which may be delayed in implementation until a requisite number of states join in. Web. Once enacted, the participating states would cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote, thus ensuring that candidate the required 270 electoral votes. A Critique of the National Popular Vote October 13, 2008 Policy Analysis No. According to the Constitution, the Electoral College is a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens (National Archives). 8. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. The Electoral College system - the way we really elect our president - has always had its detractors and lost even more public support after the 2016 election, when it became apparent that President-ElectDonald Trump might have lost the nationwide popular vote to Sec. The winner would receive one vote per congressional district won with the winner of the state popular vote gaining a two electoral votes. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the . 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. 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. amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me The bill has passed one chamber in 12 additional states with 96 electoral votes. For under its plan, the next time the U.S. has very close national vote, a recount would not be of six million votes in one state but of more than 130 million votes in all states and the District of Columbia, all with their own rules for conducting a recount. 3. After all, the Electoral College makes it possible that a candidate who wins the majority of the votes could still lose the election. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. Washington, DC 20005, Common Cause pays tribute to our leader, our friend, and a lifelong advocate for our democracy, Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Issues, Ensure Fair Districts & Reflective Democracy, Expand Voting Rights & Election Integrity, Promote Free Speech & Accountability in Media, Protect the Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Reforms. 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. 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. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. 5. 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. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. Because a direct election would be, by definition, national and resource allocation would be overwhelmingly dominated by paid television advertising, there would be little impetus for grass-roots activity. 1. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. 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. This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. Louisiana voters should decide who receives Louisiana's electoral votes. I am confident that when we enter the next phase where the popular vote leans Republican that Republicans will change and be adamant that we should elect the president by direct popular vote and Democrats will be arguing why we should keep the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system. 3. 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. 2. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. That created a voter value of 2.85. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. 1. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. But sometime in the future the popular vote will change back and lean Republican. Longley, Robert. 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.
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