The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. 3. (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. Additionally, the Founders reasoned that the system would prevent states with larger populations from having an unequal influence on the election. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. A total of 538 electoral votes are in play across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Certain penalties exist in other states. Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. 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. 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. How about receiving a customized one? Today, opinions on the future of the Electoral College range from protecting it as the basis of American democracy to abolishing it completely as an ineffective and obsolete system that may not accurately reflect the will of the people. But she lost the presidency due to Trumps winning margin in the Electoral College, which came after he pulled out narrow victories in less populated Midwestern states like Michigan and Wisconsin. 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. 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. So you run a campaign designed to maximize your votes in those few largest states. Why does the system continue? The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). And thats not how it should be in a democracy. The state legislatures of the cooperating states would . Following U.S. election results on a TV in a restaurant in Shanghai on Nov. 4. does not determine the winner of the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. 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. Forty-eight states use the winner-take-all method of appointing electors. That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. Or the opposite could be true. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Because of how the system is set up, it is possible for one candidate to win the popular vote and another to win the electoral vote. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. This means that the U.S. would fundamentally be unable to pay back its existing loans, described by Bloomberg as a "major disaster" that could significantly impact the world economy. 7. Pros: Gives the smaller states an equal voice. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. 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 . 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. In Election 2000, the eight most populous states had 228. 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. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. In all states but Maine and Nebraska, the winner of each state will take all of that state's electoral votes. WASHINGTON (AP) WHY IS IT THAT ONE CANDIDATE CAN WIN THE POPULAR VOTE BUT ANOTHER WINS THE ELECTORAL VOTE AND THUS THE PRESIDENCY? Anyone can read what you share. Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. Because its so hard to get an amendment to the Constitution passed that means that once it becomes law it will probably remain so for a long time because the bar to change it back is so high. In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. 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. The Electoral College has also awarded the presidency to candidates with a plurality of the popular vote (under 50 percent) in a number of cases, notably Abraham Lincoln in 1860, John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. Samploon is a database of free essay samples. One of the main critiques of the Electoral College is that because 48 states choose to allocate electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis (the College is established by the Constitution, but the . You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. (2021, Jun 14). [ 1] A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president. But theres a separate movement that calls for a compact of states to allocate all their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner, regardless of how those individual states opted in an election. 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. 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. Under the current structure of the electoral college, the focus of a presidential campaign is on the so-called battleground states. 3. The important number is 270. Watch out! National Popular Vote Fix the Broken Electoral College. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. It was a compromise between those who wanted direct popular elections for president and those who preferred to have Congress decide. 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. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. In 2016, for instance, Democrat Hillary Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump in the presidential election, after racking up more lopsided wins in big states like New York and California. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections? Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. There are currently 538 electors, and to be elected, a candidate must get the votes of at least 270 electors. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. The Electoral College system was established by Article II of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. There are logistical issues that are managed at the local level in each election. That means the bill needs 74 votes to reach a 270 majority, putting it into effect across the country . Gives too few states too much electoral power. Following the unprecedented and volatile 2020 presidential race when the popular vote winner was clear on Election Night, but final results still took days it's never been more clear that the Electoral College needs a major overhaul. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. (The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.). 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. Fifteen states and DC have already enacted it into law, for a total of 196 electoral votes. 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. NCSL staff are prepared to visit your state to work with legislators and staff on almost any public policy issue or issue related to the management of a legislature. In a stark example, sparsely populated Wyoming has three votes and a population of about 580,000, giving its individual voters far more clout in the election than their millions of counterparts in densely populated states like Florida, California and New York. After the 2000 election, a majority of Americans favored . ThoughtCo, Feb. 17, 2021, thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409. Yes. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. 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. Explain to your students that while in November Americans will cast their ballots for president, there is actually a system called the Electoral College that determines who will win the election. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. BY . 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. New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, Hear from two columnists with different political ideologies discuss the week in politics, Hear New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics. Most are, and it helps to think of voting on a state-by-state basis, Professor Amar said. 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. (LogOut/ A proposal has been made to restore the one person one vote principle without having to change the Constitution which involves an interstate compact. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. 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. The aim of the National Popular Vote is to ensure the popular vote dictates the Electoral College results, making "every vote in every state" count. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. 8. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. 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. The Youth Homelessness Fellows Program is a year long opportunity to legislators and legislative staff particularly interested in the topic of youth and young adult homelessness. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. The National Popular Vote Plan is an alternative system that would still use electors to cast their votes but instead it would give each state's votes to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. 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. The National Bonus Plan was proposed by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. What surprised them? 4. The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. The Pros and Cons of Pooled Employer Plans: Debate. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. 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. If the election is based off a popular vote, each of these areas would need to be closely examined in real-time, which would enhance the security of each vote that is cast. Common Cause The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. 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. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. 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). 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. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. But sometime in the future the popular vote will change back and lean Republican. 5. 1. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. Did you know that in 2016, Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes? Each state is allowed one elector for each of its Representatives and Senators in Congress. In addition, while the Founders considered the electors as being free from any sinister bias in 1788, electors today are selected by the political parties and are usually pledged to vote for the partys candidate regardless of their own beliefs. The Founding Fathers chose it as a compromise between allowing Congress to choose the president and having the president elected directly by the popular vote of the people. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. ThoughtCo. One route would be a constitutional amendment, which would require two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate and ratification by the states, or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. 4. 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 system had some unusual results from the start, as evident in the election of 1800, a tie in which Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received an equal number of electoral votes. Processes vary from state to state, with some choosing electors during state Republican and Democratic conventions. To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one or 270 electoral votes. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. Only Nebraska and Maine do not. The winner of the states popular vote gets two electoral votes, and one vote is awarded to the winner of the popular vote in each congressional district. Students share their findings. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. Individual states agree to pledge their electors to the winner of the national popular vote, provided that enough other states follow suit. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. However, there are proposals to reform the Electoral College without abolishing it. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. This brings us to 196 of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the pact. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. Today, electors meet in their respective states on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December Dec. 14 this year to cast separate ballots for president and vice president, with the candidates who receive a majority of votes being elected. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. 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. 2. Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. Reduces voter participation by creating a "my vote doesn't matter" feeling. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. Often ignored, Americans had a lesson on the workings of the Electoral College after the 2000 election, in which Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush became president. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. 4. 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. The National Popular Vote effort is now halfway to its goal of electing future presidents via the popular vote, after Rhode Island . After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. It happened once, in 1876. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." In New Mexico, electors can be charged with a felony if they abandon their pledge, and in Oklahoma a faithless elector could face a misdemeanor charge. 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. If that happens in the Electoral College, then the decision goes to the newly seated House of Representatives, with each state voting as a unit. This leads to an intense focus on battleground states, as candidates look to boost their electoral advantage by targeting states that can help them reach the needed 270 votes of the 538 up for grabs. 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. The same thing happened in 2000. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. And that would lead to chaos in how political parties campaign for president and could also undermine the legitimacy of the process. Definition and Examples. Eliminating the winner-take-all requirement of the Electoral College at the state level would lessen the tendency for the swing states to dominate the electoral process. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. On Dec. 14, as electors gathered across the country to cast their ballots, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, 36 more than needed to win. 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The Electoral College system, long a source of controversy, came under especially heavy criticism after the 2016 presidential election when Republican Donald Trump lost the nationwide popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by over 2.8 million votes but won the Electoral Collegeand thus the presidencyby 74 electoral votes. Security would be improved across the country. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. They have only won the popular vote once. Electoral College Pros and Cons. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. The National Association of Plan Advisors is a non-profit professional society. What relevance do they have today. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It remains one of the most surprising facts about voting in the United States: While the popular vote elects members of Congress, mayors, governors, state legislators and even more obscure local officials, it does not determine the winner of the presidency, the highest office in the land. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. Sets found in the same folder. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. 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). All samples were added by students. Consequently, they decided that using the proxy votes of the well-informed electors would lessen the risk of tyranny of the majority, in which the voices of the minority are drowned out by those of the masses. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. "Electoral College Pros and Cons." The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter which presidential candidate wins in their state, says CU Boulder political scientist Ken Bickers. Elections Webinar 1 2 3 . Find the most comprehensive and complete 50-state information in NCSL's searchable bill tracking databases. 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. Contact your states liaison to schedule a briefing or to learn more. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. 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). 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. Would you like to get a custom essay? On Dec. 14, as electors gathered across the country to cast their ballots, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, 36 more than needed to win. Gives too few states too much electoral power. 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. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than 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. That would increase the amount of polarization being experienced in politics today because there would be less of a need to compromise. Bush and Al Gore (Black). It only takes five people with life tenure to actually amend this Constitution through a judicial opinion, she said. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College. On average, studies show that falls in line with historical averages showing around 60 percent of eligible voters casting a vote in presidential election years. Second, some believe itll intensify election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout (Richards). The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. 211 Next 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 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. It has been enacted by twelve states, which include Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, and California. With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. Start and finish your paper with ease. Many people may feel that any major change in how we elect the president should be in the Constitution and not in a legal loop hole even if its legal and technically constitutional. FEC:The Electoral College 5. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. Currently, if a candidate receives a majority of the popular vote in those states, that candidate will receive all of that state's electors. Why or why not? The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards).

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