Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. 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. 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 itineraries of presidential candidates in battleground states (and their allocation of other campaign resources) demonstrate what every gubernatorial or senatorial candidate in every state already knows namely that when every vote matters, the campaign must be run in every part of the state. At the moment, 98 more electoral votes are needed to pass this bill in all 50 states (National Conference of State Legislators). E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. Where the National Popular Vote Plan Stands. 1. 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. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. 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. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. 2. (2020, December 16). The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. 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). National Popular Vote compact pros and cons. But don't forget, Bush won the popular vote four years later by three million votes. 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. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. (LogOut/ At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. Lincoln Chafee (D) made his state the latest to sign on. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. 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. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. The Electoral College was established in the Constitution to protect minority interests and mitigate the possibility of a regional candidate. 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. 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. 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). It gives each vote an equal amount of power. 10 Apr. Under the plan, Michigan's 15 Electoral . ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. 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. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . 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. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. 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. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. Today, many electors are bound to vote according to their states' popular vote results, and those who aren't almost always do. 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. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. The United States does not have direct election of its president, yet most national, state and local offices are filled by the candidate with the most votes. 4. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. sale of united methodist church property. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). 2. Bosque de Palabras The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. 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. 6. The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. That means the cost of counting all the votes would be duplicated. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. . 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. 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. 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. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. 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 of the 2000 presidential election. This blog post is a joint effort with Leslie Francis, former executive director of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. N.p., n.d. This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. Longley, Robert. Security would be improved across the country. 6. 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. what connection type is known as "always on"? The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it . 1. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. 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. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. This brings us to 196 of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the pact. Then, election officials in all participating states would choose the electors sworn to support thepresidential candidate who received the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 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. 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). 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. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. 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? 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. 2. pros and cons." dave leip's atlas of u.s. presidential elections. 1. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. In the 2020 general election, a ballot proposition attempted to overturn Colorado's membership to the pact, but the measure failed, 52.3% to 47.7% in the referendum. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. and our Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. 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. 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. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. cons of the national popular vote plan. 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. 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. "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. Around six-in-ten U.S. adults (63%) say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency, while 35% favor keeping the current Electoral College system, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 27-July 4, 2022. Feb 25, 2023. The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? 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. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. [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.]. mike matarazzo last photo. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. "The National Popular Vote Plan." 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. . If this happens many people in the red states will not feel that the change is legitimate even if its legal and technically constitutional. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 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. Only Nebraska and Maine do not. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election 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. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. 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 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. National Popular Vote (NPV) was founded in 2006 by lottery scratch-card inventor John Koza and election lawyer Barry Fadem to lobby for an "interstate compact" for states to deliver their electoral votes for President to the "winner" of the national popular vote. Although this may limit the amount of diversity that occurs in office, and may generate extra financial costs, the argument could be made that these risks outweigh the results of an election where a majority of states, not a majority of people, put someone into office. 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. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. Electoral college reform proposals include (1) the district plan, awarding each state's two at-large electoral votes to the statewide popular vote winners, and one electoral vote to the winning candidates in each congressional district; (2) the proportional plan, awarding electoral votes in states in direct proportion to the popular vote gained Privacy Policy. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. 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. Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. As a result, an agreement between a group of states to cast all of their electoral votes in a similar manner, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan passes constitutional muster. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. tobin james the blend 2017 ; real estate marketing solutions; cons of the national popular vote plan; lassi kefalonia shops cons of the national popular vote plan 3. How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? 2. A candidate may not have to concentrate anymore, but they may have to move their attention to states such as Texas, New York, California, and Alaska. I fear that most, if not all, of the states signing onto the NPV Compact will be just blue states. cons of the national popular vote planchicago religious demographics. Candidates feel these states need a little bit more of their attention and apply pressure to supply these states with solutions to their problems in order to gain their vote. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the . "The National Popular Vote Plan." It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. 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. 7. 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. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. 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. 7. 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. 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. Heres how. They have only won the popular vote once. 5. 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. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. These are the states that may go to either major party candidate in the election. 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. 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. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. 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. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. Proportional Plan Moving to the popular vote structure would eliminate this potential issue. 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. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. This has occurred in only four of the 58 presidential . A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. What would happen during a switch to the popular vote would be unknown. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. Would you like to get a custom essay? Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. 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. 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.. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. 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. It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. If some of the 50 states and DC cannot certify their popular votes by the December deadline that could create a constitutional crisis where we would not have all of the state Electoral College votes certified by the time the Electoral College is required to vote according to the Constitution. 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). In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. 9. On average, studies show that falls in line with historical averages showing around 60 percent of eligible voters casting a vote in presidential election years. The years-old effort is slowly making its way through state legislatures in hopes of changing the way 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. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. I am confident that when we enter the next phase where the popular vote leans Republican that Republicans will change and be adamant that we should elect the president by direct popular vote and Democrats will be arguing why we should keep the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system. 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. Cons of Electoral College. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the . Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. The plan would not get rid of the Electoral College. Here are the Cons of the Electoral College 1. 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. A simple change in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could fix the flaw and still provide the benefits of a popular election. 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. Voters in spectator states, including five of the nations 10 most populous states (California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey), and 12 of the 13 least populous states (all but New Hampshire) have no real incentive to go to the polls as their votes do not affect the outcome of the election. 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 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. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. All samples were added by students. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. Web. Start and finish your paper with ease. 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.
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