2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The National Popular Vote proposal is doomed if even only - LSE Blogs It would be a national mandate to put someone in office, even if that winning candidate received less than 50% of the vote. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. 9. All states could adopt the system that now exists in Maine and Nebraska, where all but two electors are chosen by congressional district, and the other two go to the statewide winner. It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. 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. Advantages & Disadvantages of a Direct Popular Election Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. Security would be improved across the country. 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. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. But if some non-member That's almost 1.5 billion . This blog post is a joint effort with Leslie Francis, former executive director of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Richard F. Potthoff looks critically at a proposed alternative way of electing the US president, the National Popular Vote plan, where all states in an interstate compact which cover 270 or more electoral votes would cast their electoral votes for the candidate who won the nationwide vote, no matter who wins their state. I fear that most, if not all, of the states signing onto the NPV Compact will be just blue states. National popular vote - frequently asked questions - Common Cause Common Cause "The National Popular Vote Plan." Six Reasons to Reject National Popular Vote - Pelican Policy 1. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) An electoral college would solve . 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. This brings us to 196 of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the pact. Constitutional Amendment to Guarantee the Right to Vote for All U.S. Citizens. Post author: Post published: June 29, 2022 Post category: Uncategorized Post comments: paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. Instead of a direct popular election, the United States has the Electoral College, a group of electors who represent each state's votes. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote - Vittana.org 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. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. 4. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. 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. 6. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. Because of the winner-take-all rule, a candidate can be elected president without winning the most popular votes nationwide. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Change). Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. That structure makes it easier for extremist views to find official representation. 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 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. 4. Under the electoral college, the majority votes of states assign electoral votes to a candidate, which then creates a majority total required for a victory. The NPVC is a proposed interstate compact in which the signatory states agree that they will appoint their presidential electors in accordance with the national popular vote rather than their own state electorate's 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. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. 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. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. There are pros and cons to both systems. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. How about receiving a customized one? Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. All samples were added by students. Yes. Gov Flashcards | Quizlet How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? The issue raised by the National Popular Vote campaign is fundamental: What kind of a democracy should America be? 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. As a result, the bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes. 4. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. 3. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. 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. 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. Inkwell | Everything You Need to Know About the National Popular Vote The Fatally Flawed National Popular Vote Plan | Cato at Liberty Blog Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. It's time to abolish the Electoral College - Brookings The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. 6. It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. Of the 538 Electoral College votes available, Donald J. Trump received 304 votes, Hillary Clinton received 227 votes, and seven votes went to others: three for Colin Powell, one for Faith Spotted Eagle, one for John Kasich, one for Ron Paul, and one for Bernie Sanders). Here are the Cons of the Electoral College 1. The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. Without change, a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? If a party knows either that it can't win a single elector in a state or has an easy road to winning all of them, it sends its resources to where it has a competitive chance.. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 2. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. 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. 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. 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. Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. Longley, Robert. 2. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. 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. What Is the National Bonus Plan? - Reference.com - What's Your Question? Now, the states are considering the National Popular Vote plan, a system that, while not doing away with the Electoral College system, would modify it to ensure that the candidate winning the national popular vote is ultimately elected president. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. 1. Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. The bill has crossed paths with 36 legislative chambers and has been sponsored or voted for by 3,112 state legislators (National Popular Vote). Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. mike matarazzo last photo. It is also true that no president since 1824 has received the votes of a majority of the eligible voters and 18 presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. 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. Heres how. For the 7 presidential elections between 1992-2016, the Republican candidate has won the Electoral college 3 times. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. National Popular Vote - Pros and Cons "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. To determine the National Popular Vote winner, state election officials simply would tally the nationwide vote for president based on each states official results. That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. University of Colorado Boulder Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. In fact, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which has now been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, totaling 196 electoral votes, is an actionable and realistic . Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. Congressional District Method - Electoral College Reform - Weebly Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. It knows that a majoritarianism that produces a plurality is not the voice of a majority of the citizenry. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer Popular vote better than Electoral College, Stanford scholars say However, this also means that regions with a quite low population density will almost have no influence on the election outcome at all since they only have far too few votes to make a real difference. The Electoral College system - the way we really elect our president - has always had its detractors and lost even more public support after the 2016 election, when it became apparent that President-ElectDonald Trump might have lost the nationwide popular vote to Sec. To date, the bill has passed at least one legislative chamber in 9 states possessing 82 combined electoral votes: AR, AZ, ME, MI, MN, NC, NV, OK, and OR. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. Ken Bickers. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. 7. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? PDF Problems With the National Popular Vote Plan Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. As of now, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Delaware and Oregon. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. 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. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. The National Popular Vote plan does not do away with the Electoral College system, an action that would require a constitutional amendment. 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. A simple change in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could fix the flaw and still provide the benefits of a popular election. 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. 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. . That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. The last amendment, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, was ratified nearly 200 years after it was originally proposed. on WordPress.com. 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. The winner-take-all rule is not required by the Constitution and was actually used by only three states in the nation's first presidential election in 1789. 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. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. 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 12 Proportional Representation Pros and Cons - Vittana.org Majority supports changing Electoral College system for U.S Would it aid a fight to eliminate first past the post or would it further entrench the established party system voters American voters have expressed disdain for. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. 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.