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. In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. 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. 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. 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 . It could help to reduce partisanship. The NPVC is a proposed interstate compact in which the signatory states agree that they will appoint their presidential electors in accordance with the national popular vote rather than their own state electorate's vote. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. It is perhaps the most simplistic form of an election. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. 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. Second, some believe itll intensify election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout (Richards). 622 By John Samples The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted. A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. 1. 1. It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. Would you like to get a custom essay? Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. 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. 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 Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. 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. That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. Here are six reasons why legislators should reject this attempt to jettison our electoral system: 1. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. 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. on WordPress.com. Yes. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. 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. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. It understands that while the nation is one union, it is also an amalgam of varying experiences and perspectives arrived at via the settings and unique problems surrounding those who live in different places, and that these differences fall within the broad rubric of federalism. Activating the National Popular Vote compact would reshape our . Maryland and New Jersey passed this bill in 2007, Hawaii and Illinois in 2008, Washington in 2009, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia in 2010, California and Vermont in 2011, Rhode Island in 2013, New York in 2014 and Connecticut in 2018. Where the National Popular Vote Plan Stands. 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. 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). The amendment requires that any change to the rate of compensation for members of Congress can only take effect after a subsequent election in the House of Representatives. 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. Longley, Robert. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. 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. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Published: Mar. 4. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . 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). 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. And that would undermine the legitimacy of the NPV among those people. The National Popular Vote plan is a bill passed by participating state legislatures agreeing that they will cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. In theory that could happen every four years. Many cities and school districts, under threat of a lawsuit by a Malibu attorney, have already adopted or are in the process of changing to district elections rather than remaining citywide or . Imperfect, because its modern-day blessings -- enhancing coalition building, pluralism, federalism and grass-roots participation -- are enjoyed only by a minority of states (in any given presidential election 18 or 20), where the battle for electoral votes is competitive for both major parties. It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. 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 will create a single member district (all 50 states and D.C.), where the candidate with the most votes wins and . Today, the fact that Nebraska and Maine do not use the winner-take-all system serves as proof that modifying the Electoral College system, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan is constitutional and does not require a constitutional amendment. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. Change). The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. The National Popular Vote Bill is a bill for Americans interested in both preserving our Electoral College and reforming the shortcomings of our current "winner-take-all" system that awards all the electors of one state to the candidate who wins in that particular state and . Heres how. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the . A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. The issue raised by the National Popular Vote campaign is fundamental: What kind of a democracy should America be? It happened once, in 1876. 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. It would eliminate superfluous votes. 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. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 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). 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. Pros & Cons of a National Popular Vote Buy Complete Issue $19.95 Login or Subscribe The National Popular Vote How would the interstate compact work? OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahomans will head to the polls March 7 to decide if the state will become the 22nd in the country to legalize recreational marijuana for use by anyone 21 and older. 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. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. Start and finish your paper with ease. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? Under the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system votes in small states, like Wyoming or Delaware count double what votes in large states like California or Texas. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) 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. After all, the Electoral College makes it possible that a candidate who wins the majority of the votes could still lose the election. 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. 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. ThoughtCo. 1. A popular vote election takes all ballots that are cast, counts them, and declares the winner based on who received the most votes. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. Watch out! The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. pros and cons." dave leip's atlas of u.s. presidential elections. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. . 48 Vitosha Boulevard, ground floor, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria, Samploon, Inc. 2022. As with other powers entrusted to the states, it is an application, not a circumvention, of the Constitution when the states utilize those powers as they see fit. 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. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. 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. 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. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. 1. 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). 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. sale of united methodist church property. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. When the Constitution was set in place in 1789, the U.S. elected its first president. That would increase the amount of polarization being experienced in politics today because there would be less of a need to compromise. Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. But if we set politics aside and focus on what is really best for democracy in our country in the long run I believe that the advantages of using the NPV compact to elect our president outweigh the disadvantages and the best way to elect our president in the 21st century is by direct popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. 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 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.. Explains kimberling, william c., and dave leip's . 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. amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me Under the plan, Michigan's 15 Electoral . There are pros and cons to both systems. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. 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. 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. 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. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. 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. 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. 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. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. State Question 820 lays out a statutory framework for a recreational industry that would begin about 90 days after election results are certified. 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. 9. June 7, 2022 . 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. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. 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. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. Resource allocation would be focused on paid advertising, which would negate the need for grassroots activities. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. (2021, Jun 14). Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. All samples were added by students. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. 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. Though the original, some would say highly undemocratic, purpose. N.p., n.d. PBS: What does voter turnout tell us about the 2016 election. Bosque de Palabras Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. The National Popular Vote plan is a bill passed by participating state legislatures agreeing that they will cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. 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. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. How about receiving a customized one? In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. 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. 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. 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. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? 2015. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. Without any sort of broad support, the politics of the country could become even more fractured than they already are. Would it aid a fight to eliminate first past the post or would it further entrench the established party system voters American voters have expressed disdain for. This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. 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 NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. 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. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. 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. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. 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 4. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. 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. That's almost 1.5 billion . 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 selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. Just 12 Closely Divided Battleground States Got 96% of 2020 Campaign Events. Under the current structure of the electoral college, the focus of a presidential campaign is on the so-called battleground states. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. 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. April 8, 2016 National popular vote far better than Electoral College system for choosing presidents, Stanford professors say. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president. The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. 2. In contrast, other issues related to the federal government are not exclusively entrusted to the states, and therefore the states lack the power to alter them. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors and a majority of 270 electoral votes is mandatory to nominate the President. As a result, the percentage of popular votes secured by Donald Trump was just 46.4% in comparison with Hilary Clinton, who secured 48.5% of the votes. I will explain that in another blog post. 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. Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. 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.