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. The Electoral College Vs. Popular Vote - 1203 Words | 123 Help Me All states could adopt the system that now exists in Maine and Nebraska, where all but two electors are chosen by congressional district, and the other two go to the statewide winner. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. A popular vote election takes all ballots that are cast, counts them, and declares the winner based on who received the most votes. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. [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.]. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. Proportional Plan Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. 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. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. To pass an amendment to change the Constitution the Founding Fathers wisely required approval by 2/3 of both houses of Congress and 3/4 of the state legislatures instead of a simple majority. The popular vote eliminates this issue too. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. It could encourage voter turnout. 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. The National Popular Vote Plan. At the moment, 98 more electoral votes are needed to pass this bill in all 50 states (National Conference of State Legislators). ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. 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. Of the 538 Electoral College votes available, Donald J. Trump received 304 votes, Hillary Clinton received 227 votes, and seven votes went to others: three for Colin Powell, one for Faith Spotted Eagle, one for John Kasich, one for Ron Paul, and one for Bernie Sanders). In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. cons of the national popular vote plan. Today, many electors are bound to vote according to their states' popular vote results, and those who aren't almost always do. 3. 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 bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes a majority of the current 538 electoral votes. All samples were added by students. (LogOut/ Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. 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. Explains kimberling, william c., and dave leip's . Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. The bill has crossed paths with 36 legislative chambers and has been sponsored or voted for by 3,112 state legislators (National Popular Vote). Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. 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. Without change, a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the As a result, the bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes. Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. Although many supporters of the electoral college argue that a two-party political system is more stable, some critics counter that having more than two parties would give Americans more choice. 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. The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). 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. 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. Because of the Winner-Take-All state laws candidates for president only campaign and spend their money in 12-13 swing states because voters in those few swing states determine who wins the election and presidential candidates totally ignore voters in the rest of the country(except to raise money). Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. 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. 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. These are the states that may go to either major party candidate in the election. 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 Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. 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. 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. That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. The Constitution specifically leaves details like how the electoral votes are cast up to the states. Would you like to get a custom essay? The Case Against the Popular Vote | The New Republic 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. This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. Part of HuffPost Politics. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. 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. cons of the national popular vote plan Among the others: By its very size and scope, a national direct election will lead to nothing more than a national media campaign, which would propel the parties' media consultants to inflict upon the entire nation what has been heretofore limited to the so-called battleground states: an ever-escalating, distorted arms race of tit-for-tat unanswerable attack advertising polluting the airwaves, denigrating every candidate and eroding citizen faith in their leaders and the political process as a whole. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact In the 2016 Presidential Election if the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact had been in effect the winner of the national popular vote, Hillary Clinton, would have become president instead of Donald Trump. PBS: What does voter turnout tell us about the 2016 election. Feb 25, 2023. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. Common Cause Because there was a difference of less than 1,000 tabulated votes between George W. Bush and Al Gore in one state, Florida, the nation watched as 6 million votes were recounted by machine, several hundred thousand were recounted by hand in counties with differing recount standards, partisan litigators fought each other in state and federal courts, the secretary of state backed by the majority of state legislators (all Republicans) warred with the state's majority Democratic judiciary -- until 37 days after the election the U.S. Supreme Court, in a bitterly controversial 5-4 decision effectively declared Bush the winner. Lincoln Chafee (D) made his state the latest to sign on. 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. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. What Is The District Plan? This Electoral College Reform - Bustle The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. cons of the national popular vote plan 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. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? In states with large population centers, individual voters have less power than voters in smaller states. 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. That would increase the amount of polarization being experienced in politics today because there would be less of a need to compromise. 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. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. After the process, the President of the Senate reveals who has officially been voted in as President and Vice President of the United States. The National Popular Vote: Misusing an Interstate Compact to Bypass the The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their electoral votes to whichever presidential ticket wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 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. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. Pros & Cons of Selecting Government Officials by Direct Election 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. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. Electoral College vs. National Popular Vote - BohatALA The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. How about receiving a customized one? But don't forget, Bush won the popular vote four years later by three million votes. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). Poly Sci Final Flashcards | Quizlet By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. 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). 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. 7. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. 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. 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. on WordPress.com. 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 And that would undermine the legitimacy of the NPV among those people. This advance is referred to as the winner-take-all approach. Why National Popular Vote Would Be a Disaster for America (and NPV Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. Just another site cons of the national popular vote plan . On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. This brings us to 196 of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the pact. A direct popular election would make it more possible for third-party candidates to succeed and would also encourage political parties to become more radical and extreme. 2015. Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. 3. (LogOut/ amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me 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. . The National Bonus Plan maintains the Electoral College voting system but adds 102 bonus electoral votes to the existing 538 votes. The Electoral College: An Overview and Analysis of Reform Proposals It would reduce diversity in the election structures. Start and finish your paper with ease. National Popular Vote It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. Bosque de Palabras Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. 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. Heres how. 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. 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. The Electoral College was established in the Constitution to protect minority interests and mitigate the possibility of a regional candidate. Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. June 7, 2022 . It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. 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. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? sale of united methodist church property. In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. 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. Longley, Robert. It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. Destroying the Electoral College: The Anti-Federalist National Popular 4. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. Hillary Clinton, but won the electoral vote to become the 45thPresident of the United States. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. 8. 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. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. There are a number of pros for this method. 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. Yes. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. Because of the winner-take-all rule, a candidate can be elected president without winning the most popular votes nationwide. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote - Vittana.org There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. If enacted by enough states, the National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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