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. 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). E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. Thats how politics works in America. Heres how. 1. 3. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. 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. The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. At the moment, 98 more electoral votes are needed to pass this bill in all 50 states (National Conference of State Legislators). 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. 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 is a constitutional and practical way to implement nationwide popular election of the President a goal traditionally supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. List of the Cons of Using the Popular Vote 1. National Popular Vote - Pros and Cons : r/NeutralPolitics - reddit The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . A shift of a relative handful of votes in one or two states would have elected the second-place candidate in six of the last 12 presidential elections. and our what connection type is known as "always on"? Mayors, governors, and senators are all elected by a simple majority. 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. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. 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 The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. Only Nebraska and Maine do not. cons of the national popular vote plan. 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. Candidates get one vote for every congressional district they win, and then two votes for winning the state-wide vote. Why National Popular Vote Would Be a Disaster for America (and NPV Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. A simple change in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could fix the flaw and still provide the benefits of a popular election. Inside Ohio or Florida, to pick two examples, the big cities do not receive all the attention, and they certainly do not control the outcome. It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. 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. 3. 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. 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. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. 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. Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. The winner would receive one vote per congressional district won with the winner of the state popular vote gaining a two electoral votes. Start and finish your paper with ease. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. Inkwell | Everything You Need to Know About the National Popular Vote As of December 2020, the National Popular Vote bill has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, controlling 196 electoral votes: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA. National Popular Vote proponents argue that the United States has had four presidential elections in which the plurality winner of the popular vote was not chosen as president. The issue raised by the National Popular Vote campaign is fundamental: What kind of a democracy should America be? While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer 2. As a result, the bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators 7. 7. 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. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. 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. cons of the national popular vote plan - alshamifortrading.com 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. 4. 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. 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. mike matarazzo last photo. It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 For more information, please see our In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. Electoral College vs. National Popular Vote - BohatALA Hillary Clinton, but won the electoral vote to become the 45thPresident of the United States. The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. Michigan Legislature considers plan to enact national popular vote 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. Watch out! There are logistical issues that are managed at the local level in each election. 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 . 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 (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. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. The election is held every four years on the first Tuesday in November and prior to election day, the two candidates endure state-level primaries, caucuses, debates, and conventions. What Is The District Plan? This Electoral College Reform - Bustle 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. Congressional Digest The National Popular Vote 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. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. Cons of Electoral College. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). District Plan CONS Technically still possible, but A LOT hard to do so District 1 = Romney 57% District 2 = Romney 52% District 3 = Romney 70% Gerrymandering. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Past Event: The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties has announced plans to broadcast a webinar discussing the National Popular Vote (NPV) on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m. National Popular Vote has been leading the campaign to fix the electoral college and elect the president by national popular vote since its founding in 2006 . Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. cons of the national popular vote plan - demo.bobbiclayton.com At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. (LogOut/ The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact collectively apportions votes to the winner of the overall popular vote without a constitutional amendment abolishing the electoral college or the assent of Congress. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. PBS: What does voter turnout tell us about the 2016 election. Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. 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. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. 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. That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. All samples were added by students. That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. 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%. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. Samploon is a database of free essay samples. 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. 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. 3. National Popular Vote (NPV) - InfluenceWatch 5. Or states might explore what was recently proposed in Colorado -- that electors be allocated in proportion to each candidate's share of the popular vote above a certain threshold. The National Bonus Plan maintains the Electoral College voting system but adds 102 bonus electoral votes to the existing 538 votes. on WordPress.com. 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. "The National Popular Vote Plan." It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. What would happen during a switch to the popular vote would be unknown. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among states and the District of Columbia to award their respective electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote of the presidential election. sale of united methodist church property. A Critique of the National Popular Vote October 13, 2008 Policy Analysis No. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. National popular vote - Ballotpedia In states with large population centers, individual voters have less power than voters in smaller states. Facts support national popular vote | The Hill When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. That's almost 1.5 billion . It gives more voting power to individual voters in smaller states. Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. N.p., n.d. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. Privacy Policy. 1. It would reduce the threshold necessary to win the office. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. That nightmare may seem like a pleasant dream if NPV has its way. 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 . Though the original, some would say highly undemocratic, purpose. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. The lack of competition and campaigning in a majority of states owes itself not to the existence of the Electoral College's indirect method of choosing presidents but rather to the winner-take-all method of choosing electors in all but two states. 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. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. 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. June 7, 2022 . In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. 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. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. 1. 4. 4. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. 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. Bosque de Palabras Longley, Robert. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. 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. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. A faithless elector in the United States is someone who casts an electoral ballot for someone other than the individuals to whom they are pledged. 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. Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. The National Bonus Plan was proposed by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) 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. There would be fewer opportunities to illegally alter the results of an election. Common Cause Change). Presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, or campaign in states that they cannot possibly win or lose; in 2016, 68% of presidential campaign visits took place in just six states. The Electoral College: An Overview and Analysis of Reform Proposals 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. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. The popular vote eliminates this issue too. 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. The NPV is a multi-state agreement that, when active, would ensure that the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote nationally also wins in the Electoral College. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. 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? 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. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. 5. The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. Not only it already happened five times, but in theory, a candidate could win the presidency with only 22% of the popular vote in a two-candidates race. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. Using a popular vote system, candidates could campaign regionally, targeting major areas of support, to secure enough votes to win an election. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. 1. Proportional Plan It could encourage voter turnout. 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. Security would be improved across the country. Past Event - LWV Webinar on Popular Vote - The Buchanan Chronicle 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. 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. 2. They have only won the popular vote once. This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. The principal flaw in the plan is its assumption that under the plan there will still be only two major parties competing for the presidency in 2020. . 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. Instead of a direct popular election, the United States has the Electoral College, a group of electors who represent each state's votes. To take effect, the National Popular Vote bill must be enacted by the state legislatures of states controlling a total of 270 electoral votes - a majority of the overall 538 electoral votes and the number currently required to elect a president. pros and cons." dave leip's atlas of u.s. presidential elections. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. 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. An individuals vote doesnt make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. 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. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. cons of the national popular vote plan Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. cons of the national popular vote plan In Maine, both houses of the legislature passed the bill in 2019, but it failed at the final enactment step. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected.

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