Because there was a difference of less than 1,000 tabulated votes between George W. Bush and Al Gore in one state, Florida, the nation watched as 6 million votes were recounted by machine, several hundred thousand were recounted by hand in counties with differing recount standards, partisan litigators fought each other in state and federal courts, the secretary of state backed by the majority of state legislators (all Republicans) warred with the state's majority Democratic judiciary -- until 37 days after the election the U.S. Supreme Court, in a bitterly controversial 5-4 decision effectively declared Bush the winner. 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. 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). Second, some believe itll intensify election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout (Richards). 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). However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. The National Popular Vote effort, explained The National Popular Vote effort is now halfway to its goal of electing future presidents via the popular vote, after Rhode Island Gov. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. Evidence as to how a nationwide presidential campaign would be run can be found by examining the way presidential candidates currently campaign inside battleground states. Part of HuffPost Politics. I fear that most, if not all, of the states signing onto the NPV Compact will be just blue states. 7. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. 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. 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. Explains kimberling, william c., and dave leip's . After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. 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. 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. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. Under the electoral college system, if a state consistently pulls as leaning to one party, someone who supports the other party may not vote because they feel like there isnt a need to do so. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. It would eliminate superfluous votes. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. I will explain that in another blog post. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. (2021, Jun 14). what connection type is known as "always on"? Thats a bank of about 14 million potential voters that reliably vote as a majority for Democratic candidates. When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. 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. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. 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. 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. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. 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. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. This blog post is a joint effort with Leslie Francis, former executive director of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. Samploon is a database of free essay samples. National Popular Vote compact pros and cons. Cons: Smaller states don't get as much of a say and people would demand a national recount National Bonus Plan Winner of popular vote gets extra 102 electoral votes Pros: No winner of popular vote losing overall Cons: Basically exactly like the Direct plan District Plan Win popular vote in each district, you get one electoral vote. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. N.p., n.d. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? 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 selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. It could help to reduce partisanship. For under its plan, the next time the U.S. has very close national vote, a recount would not be of six million votes in one state but of more than 130 million votes in all states and the District of Columbia, all with their own rules for conducting a recount. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. It happened once, in 1876. Though the original, some would say highly undemocratic, purpose. 2015. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. The National Popular Vote plan is a bill passed by participating state legislatures agreeing that they will cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote. 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 . The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. Here are six reasons why legislators should reject this attempt to jettison our electoral system: 1. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators 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. How about receiving a customized one? Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. 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Unless the national popular vote was very close, or there were all lot of recounts outstanding, the Compact states in most cases would effectively know what the outcome would be and could be prepared to certify their state votes very quickly to make the Electoral College meeting date deadline. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. 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? This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. For example: States already have the power to award their electors to the winner of the national popular vote, although this would be disadvantageous to the state that did so unless it was joined simultaneously by other states that represent a majority of electoral votes. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. 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. State Question 820 lays out a statutory framework for a recreational industry that would begin about 90 days after election results are certified. The alternative view of democracy is more complex; it is one that includes but is not limited to the pursuit of equality. Mayors, governors, and senators are all elected by a simple majority. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. 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. Similarly, because a national campaign mandates a national message, there would also be a smaller incentive for coalition-building or taking into account the characteristics, needs and desires of citizens in differing states and regions. 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. (LogOut/ Definition and Examples. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. First it would be relatively easy to implement. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. 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. 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. The National Bonus Plan maintains the Electoral College voting system but adds 102 bonus electoral votes to the existing 538 votes. Just another site cons of the national popular vote plan . Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). [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.]. 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 It could encourage voter turnout. 8. 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. 1. Today, the fact that Nebraska and Maine do not use the winner-take-all system serves as proof that modifying the Electoral College system, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan is constitutional and does not require a constitutional amendment. To determine the National Popular Vote winner, state election officials simply would tally the nationwide vote for president based on each states official results. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. According to Article II, Section 1, "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress." The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me But the national popular vote plan doesn't require a . 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. And unlike direct elections, either would provide an incentive for grass-roots activity, coalition building and enhanced citizen participation. Instead, it modifies the winner-take-all rule in a way its supporters say would assure that every vote will matter in every state in every presidential election. Lastly, some Americans believe that there would be an increase in voter turn-out if people felt that their vote was viewed as a significant asset to their country. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 Would you like to get a custom essay? Web. 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. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. Most recently, the bill was passed by a bipartisan 4016 vote in the Republican-controlled Arizona House, 2818 in Republican-controlled Oklahoma Senate, 574 in Republican-controlled New York Senate, and 3721 in Democratic-controlled Oregon House." 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. In 6 Elections, 2 Near-Misses (2020, 2004) and 2 Second-Place Presidents (2016, 2000) National Popular Vote Has Been Enacted into Law in 16 Jurisdictions with 195 Electoral Votes. As with other powers entrusted to the states, it is an application, not a circumvention, of the Constitution when the states utilize those powers as they see fit. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. April 8, 2016 National popular vote far better than Electoral College system for choosing presidents, Stanford professors say. 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. It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. Many cities and school districts, under threat of a lawsuit by a Malibu attorney, have already adopted or are in the process of changing to district elections rather than remaining citywide or . Although many supporters of the electoral college argue that a two-party political system is more stable, some critics counter that having more than two parties would give Americans more choice. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. 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. 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. When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. Security would be improved across the country. Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. 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. Only Nebraska and Maine do not. At the moment, 98 more electoral votes are needed to pass this bill in all 50 states (National Conference of State Legislators). Cookie Notice You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. 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. Common Cause 41 States (with 80% of U.S. population) will be Ignored in the 2024 Presidential Election. The election is held every four years on the first Tuesday in November and prior to election day, the two candidates endure state-level primaries, caucuses, debates, and conventions. Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it . A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president. 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. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. Under the electoral college system (and other voting systems not based on popular voting), it only takes one extra vote more than the other candidate to create the needed results for the election. 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. . 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. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. Ken Bickers. 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. 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. 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. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. 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). NPV supporters claim, accurately, that a direct election for president would reduce or eliminate the possibility that a fringe candidate (like a Ralph Nader or Ron Paul) winning five percent or less of the vote in a single state could serve to defeat a major party candidate from the same side of the political spectrum. Note: Today we are in a phase where the popular vote in presidential elections leans Democratic. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 10 Apr. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. 7. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. 9. Watch out! 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.
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