When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. It only takes five people with life tenure to actually amend this Constitution through a judicial opinion, she said. Or the opposite could be true. A direct popular election would make it more possible for third-party candidates to succeed and would also encourage political parties to become more radical and extreme. 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). Fair or not fair? 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. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. Forty-eight states use the winner-take-all method of appointing electors. To become president of the United States of America, you must be at least 35 years old, have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years and be a natural-born citizen. 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. Inkwell | Everything You Need to Know About the National Popular Vote Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. 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. 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. That means the bill needs 74 votes to reach a 270 majority, putting it into effect across the country . University of Colorado Boulder Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their votes. One such movement, the National Popular Vote plan would ensure that the winner of the popular vote would also win at least enough Electoral College votes to be elected president. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. 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). National Popular Vote Movement - Common Cause | Get Involved (They dont always do so.). Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. 5. 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? It would eliminate superfluous votes. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Students may work individually or in small groups. Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Electoral College Reform: Should We The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. 5 terms. 5. The National Popular Vote; States in the National Popular Vote Compact; Voter Trends in 2016; Public Opinion on the Electoral College; What Congress Is Doing on the Electoral College; Pros & Cons of Ending Surprise Medical Billing; Pros & Cons of Mail-In Voting; Pros & Cons of Ending Surprise Medical Billing; PROs. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. It could help to reduce partisanship. Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. Other presidents who lost the popular vote but won the presidency include John Quincy Adams and Rutherford B. Hayes in the elections of 1824 and 1876. How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, The Most Lopsided Presidential Elections in US History, Presidential Election of 1800 Ended in a Tie, The Election of 1824 Was Decided in the House of Representatives, How Presidents and Vice Presidents Are Elected, Election of 1800: Thomas Jefferson versus John Adams, Biography of Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States, What Is Dealignment? If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. To avoid another election that differs from . You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. 4. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. Lastly, an election-related case could find its way to the Supreme Court, which would lend greater importance to the judicial makeup of the court, Professor Wehle said. 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. 4. To determine the National Popular Vote winner, state election officials simply would tally the nationwide vote for president based on each states official results. 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. 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. As an alternative to the long and unlikely method amending the Constitution, critics of the Electoral College are now perusing the National Popular Vote plan designed to ensure that the candidate who wins the overall popular vote in inaugurated president. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. 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. Honorable Steve Cohen; Adam . WASHINGTON (AP) WHY IS IT THAT ONE CANDIDATE CAN WIN THE POPULAR VOTE BUT ANOTHER WINS THE ELECTORAL VOTE AND THUS THE PRESIDENCY? The National Popular Vote, Explained | Brennan Center for Justice 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. 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. If the National Popular Vote bill was secured within the American government, it would protect every vote and would allow those votes to equally matter in the presidential election. Mayors, governors, and senators are all elected by a simple majority. 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. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. 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 fact, part of a presidential candidates campaign strategy is drawing a map of states the candidate can and must win to gather 270 electoral votes. In Election 2000, the eight most populous states had 228. "Electoral College Pros and Cons." https://www.thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409 (accessed May 1, 2023). 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. 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. For more information on this topic, use this form to reach NCSL staff. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. Most are, and it helps to think of voting on a state-by-state basis, Professor Amar said. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. It would take a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College an unlikely move because of how difficult it is to pass and ratify constitutional changes. 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. 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 aim of the National Popular Vote is to ensure the popular vote dictates the Electoral College results, making "every vote in every state" count. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections? This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. PEPsHot or Not? The Pros and Cons of Pooled Employer Plans: Debate Should the Electoral College stay or go? - PBS NewsHour Classroom 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. cons of the national popular vote plan - ssmthope.org The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. Rescue crews are fighting rugged terrain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as search efforts for a missing man remain ongoing. 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. Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. 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 How does the system currently work? The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. The state legislatures of the cooperating states would . Most Popular. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. These are the states that may go to either major party candidate in the election. (LogOut/ There was a lot of confusion over how Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. Two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which rely on congressional districts to divvy up electoral votes. We answer more than 20,000 requests for information a year. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. Find the most comprehensive and complete 50-state information in NCSL's searchable bill tracking databases. 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. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. 3. For the 7 presidential elections between 1992-2016, the Republican candidate has won the Electoral college 3 times. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? 2. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. Policy Research 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. Although its not detailed in the Constitution, each state delegation would vote on which candidate to support as a group, with the plurality carrying the day, said Akhil Reed Amar, a professor of law and political science at Yale University. 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. Moving to the popular vote structure would eliminate this potential issue. There are various options for reforming the Electoral College system, including abolishing it altogether, adopting a national popular vote system, and proportional allocation President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. Gives too few states too much electoral power. The nations founders hoped to quell the formation of powerful factions and political parties, and they wanted a mechanism that did not rely solely on popular majorities or Congress. 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. The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. The Electoral College vs. Popular Vote Explained - The New York Times 6. 7. Another movement is attempting to convince states to split their electoral vote based on the percentage of the states popular vote for each candidate. 5. Winner Takes All: The Popular Vote Versus Electoral College The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. 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. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. Everything You Need to Know About the National Popular Vote Interstate During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus its two senators. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. 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. 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. To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one or 270 electoral votes. 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. April 23, 2023. . Sets found in the same folder. This four-part series, hosted in partnership with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, will explore key topics in election administration such as funding, voter registration list maintenance, post-election audits and voting technology in conversations with each of the agency's four commissioners. The Early Learning Fellows Program is a year long opportunity to legislators and legislative staff particularly interested in the topic of early care and education. "Pros and cons of the Electoral College it said this about what supporters think about the electoral college "Naturally . By continuing well assume youre on board with our, https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Select a writer from a large pool of experts. Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. 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. cons of the national popular vote planproperty management without a license in texas aot 4, 2022 12:34 . More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. Texas has 38. That would likely reduce the number of voters who cast a ballot in each election as most people are more concerned about local impacts than national policies. 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. Pennsylvania is tied between Republican and Democratic representatives, and Michigan has seven Democrats, six Republicans and one independent. Change). That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. This hybrid system means that more weight is given to a single vote in a small state than the vote of someone in a large state, leading to outcomes at times that have been at odds with the popular vote. Why National Popular Vote Is a Bad Idea | HuffPost Latest News This advance is referred to as the winner-take-all approach. That still faces an uphill climb, though. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. The Compact ensures that every vote, in every state, will matter in every presidential election. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular 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. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*.
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