That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. 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. 2. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. 5. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. Would they like to see the system changed? Start and finish your paper with ease. Yes. When you talk about the Electoral College shaping the election, it shapes the election all the time because it puts the focus on certain states and not others, said Alexander Keyssar, a professor of history and social policy at Harvard University. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. 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. 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. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that could determine the ability of state law enforcement agencies to use civil asset forfeiture, a practice that four states have abolished entirely. This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. Gives too few states too much electoral power. And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. 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. And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. The process of choosing electors can be an insiders game, said Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore and the author of What You Need to Know About Voting and Why. They are often state legislators, party leaders or donors, she said. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College. 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. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. 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. That means the bill needs 74 votes to reach a 270 majority, putting it into effect across the country . They have only won the popular vote once. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). In this issue of Capitol to Capitol NCSL Letter to Congress on Farm Bill Reauthorization and Town Hall, House Republicans Unveil Border Security Bill, and more. That still faces an uphill climb, though. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. 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. NCSL Child Welfare Fellows program is designed to support legislators and legislative staff who are experienced or emerging leaders in child welfare policy. After the process, the President of the Senate reveals who has officially been voted in as President and Vice President of the United States. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. According to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, some proponents of the Electoral College argue that it isolates election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. Definition and Examples. Analysis of the Congressional-District Method of Awarding Electoral Votes Summary Under the congressional-district method of awarding electoral votes, one electoral vote is awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in each of a state's congressional districts. On a close popular vote, often defined as a difference of 0.5% or less in the tabulated results, an automatic recount would likely be triggered. 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. 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. These are the states that may go to either major party candidate in the election. (The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.). on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. 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). When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). Elections Webinar 1 2 3 . April 23, 2023. . NCSL helps draft bills, organize workshops and convene legislative-executive teams. Anyone can read what you share. 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. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? National Archives:U.S. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. 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. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." 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. 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. The Compact ensures that every vote, in every state, will matter in every presidential election. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. A presidential candidate needs at least 26 votes to win. 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 candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. 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. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . The Electoral College was born at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. States boyd, william j.d., "electoral college system challenged." national civic review 55.9 (1966): 519-23. Discuss. So you run a campaign designed to maximize your votes in those few largest states. 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. Most Popular. Lara Maupin has a Masters Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from George Washington University and a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. Would you like to get a custom essay? The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. Fair or not fair? 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. Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. 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. Thats how the framers of the Constitution set it up. 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). Ask your students what they remember about the 2016 election. What surprised them? Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. 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. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. (2021, Jun 14). And that would undermine the legitimacy of the NPV among those people. Bring about direct popular election of pres and do within change. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. Security would be improved across the country. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. They will do as promised if the candidates do a very good job vetting them and picking people who are rock-solid, Professor Amar said. (Voters in one of those states, Colorado, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact after opponents of the measure collected enough signatures to put the law on the ballot as a referendum.) NCSLs experts are here to answer your questions and give you unbiased, comprehensive information as soon as you need it on issues facing state legislatures. [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.]. However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from 89 percent of Democrats and only 23 percent of Republicans. 1. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority 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. 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. After all, the Electoral College makes it possible that a candidate who wins the majority of the votes could still lose the election. 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. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. Because of the Winner-Take-All state laws candidates for president only campaign and spend their money in 12-13 swing states because voters in those few swing states determine who wins the election and presidential candidates totally ignore voters in the rest of the country(except to raise money). In the 2020 election California did not certify their votes until Friday, December 11, only 3 days before the Electoral College met on Monday, December, 14. 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. End with a class discussion. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. [ 1] 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. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2023 NewsHour Production LLC. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. 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. 3. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. Additionally, the Founders reasoned that the system would prevent states with larger populations from having an unequal influence on the election. Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. Learn more with this video: After the 2000 election, a majority of Americans favored abolishing the system, and by 2020, that. It would eliminate superfluous votes. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. Thus, the National Popular Vote plan will take effect when enacted by states controlling an additional 74 electoral votes. BY . Mr. Biden was leading in the popular vote, with more than 81 million votes. Selected students then present to the class as a whole. The same thing happened in 2000. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. 9. 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. 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. 4 terms. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. It only takes five people with life tenure to actually amend this Constitution through a judicial opinion, she said. 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. NCSL actively tracks more than 1,400 issue areas. 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. 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. At the moment, 98 more electoral votes are needed to pass this bill in all 50 states (National Conference of State Legislators). Based on Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution granting the states the exclusive power to control how their electoral votes are awarded, the National Popular Vote plan requires the legislature of each participating state to enact a bill agreeing that the state will award all of its electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, regardless of the outcome of the popular vote in that specific state. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. Yes, and that is what happened in 2016: Although Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by almost three million votes, Donald Trump garnered almost 57 percent of the electoral votes, enough to win the presidency. 8. The Pros and Cons of Pooled Employer Plans: Debate. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. All Rights Reserved, How 2016 put pressure on the Electoral College. 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. 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. Rescue crews are fighting rugged terrain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as search efforts for a missing man remain ongoing. 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. Because of the state Winner-Take-All rules, which arent even part of the Constitution, they can lead to presidential elections where the winner of the election doesnt have the most popular votes. If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. It would reduce the threshold necessary to win the office. 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. The Electoral College system was established by Article II of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. 3. How about receiving a customized one? PBS: What does voter turnout tell us about the 2016 election. Read the overview below to gain an understanding of the process and explore the previews of opinion articles that highlight diverging views on this voting system. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. It could help to reduce partisanship. The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. Cons of Electoral College. 211 Next For years there have been debates about abolishing the Electoral College entirely, with the 2016 election bringing the debate back to the surface. (LogOut/ Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. 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. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. 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. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. 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. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. Abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment, a lengthy and often unsuccessful process. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. 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. Pro: It's the only way to avoid defaulting. Students may work individually or in small groups. 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. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. Longley, Robert. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. Instead of a direct popular election, the United States has the Electoral College, a group of electors who represent each state's votes. 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. 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. It happened once, in 1876. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. 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. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. 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 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. popular vote pros and cons-shootings in south dallasshootings in south dallas In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. lilj512. Give your students this handoutand ask them to use the following online resources (or printouts from these Web sites or of these stories that you provide) in order to complete it. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409. (They dont always do so.). 48 Vitosha Boulevard, ground floor, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria, Samploon, Inc. 2023. 2. 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. Because there is now an even number of electoral votes, a tie is feasible. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. (2021, February 17). Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. 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. Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. Electing a president who did not have broad regional support could lead to a fractured and less cohesive country, according to the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Critics, however, argue that Founders reasoning is no longer relevant as todays voters are better-educated and have virtually unlimited access to information and to the candidates stances on the issues. 4. 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. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. 2. 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. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. 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.
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