For years there have been debates about abolishing the Electoral College entirely, with the 2016 election bringing the debate back to the surface. If you need 321 electoral votes to win, and you can get 102 by winning the national 354 popular plurality, you need only 219 of the state electoral votes. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. Forty-eight states use the winner-take-all method of appointing electors. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. 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 . National Archives:U.S. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. 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. The same thing happened in 2000. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. Graphic shows scenario in which a presidential candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election. By its very nature, the Electoral College system is confusing. 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. Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. In the early 19th century, many states ratified an approach that would allow the candidate with the most votes in that state to be the winner. 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. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. Common Cause Hence, the National Popular Vote plan is an interstate compact a type of state law authorized by the U.S. Constitution that enables states to enter into a legally enforceable, contractual obligation to undertake agreed joint actions, which may be delayed in implementation until a requisite number of states join in. 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. "Electoral College Pros and Cons." What are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of the Electoral College? 27 Major Pros & Cons Of The Electoral College " The Electoral College needs to go, because it's made our society less and less democratic." Pete Buttigieg, Politician Advantages & Disadvantages of the Electoral College The Electoral College is an organ that elects the president of the United States. The system had some unusual results from the start, as evident in the election of 1800, a tie in which Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received an equal number of electoral votes. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. 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. Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. What Is the National Bonus Plan? - reference.com After all, the Electoral College makes it possible that a candidate who wins the majority of the votes could still lose the election. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." 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. Thus, the National Popular Vote plan will take effect when enacted by states controlling an additional 74 electoral votes. Sets found in the same folder. Under the current structure of the electoral college, the focus of a presidential campaign is on the so-called battleground states. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. Elections Webinar 1 2 3 . . 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. 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. National popular vote plan. 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. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Should the Electoral College stay or go? - PBS NewsHour Classroom 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. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. 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. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). 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. For instance, if you have a score of 659 and are borrowing 75% of the home's value, you'll pay a fee equal to 1.5% of the loan balance whereas you'd pay no fee if you had a 780+ credit score. The state legislatures of the cooperating states would . In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. We answer more than 20,000 requests for information a year. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. 2. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. 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. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. For more information on this topic, use this form to reach NCSL staff. Would they like to see the system changed? lilj512. Instead of a direct popular election, the United States has the Electoral College, a group of electors who represent each state's votes. 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. 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. This means that the U.S. would fundamentally be unable to pay back its existing loans, described by Bloomberg as a "major disaster" that could significantly impact the world economy. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. Definition and Examples. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. If there is a tie vote in a states delegation, the states vote would not count. Whether electors should be able to change their positions has been heavily debated, so much so that the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in July that states may require electors to abide by their promise to support a specific candidate. 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. Anyone can read what you share. PDF The Direct Election Plan - tesd.net Great Smoky Mountains National Park crews battle rough terrain in People call them faithless electors. In 2016, seven electors 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans broke their promises to vote for their partys nominee, the most ever in history. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. The Founders believed that most common citizens of the day were poorly educated and uninformed on political issues. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. This new series from the AP is dedicated to answering commonly asked questions from our audience about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Thats how the framers of the Constitution set it up. New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, Hear from two columnists with different political ideologies discuss the week in politics, Hear New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics. The National Association of Plan Advisors is a non-profit professional society. 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. 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. This outdated institution creates unnecessary . BREAKING NEWS: Announcing the 2022 NAPA Top DC Advisor Teams. Cons of Electoral College. Idea to keep electoral college but add 102bvotes. ThoughtCo, Feb. 17, 2021, thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409. The pros and cons of the popular vote structure of an election allow for the majority to have their say in who they wish to serve. Reduces voter participation by creating a my vote doesnt matter feeling. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. popular vote pros and cons-shootings in south dallasshootings in south dallas Honorable Steve Cohen; Adam . (LogOut/ 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. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. 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. Winner Takes All: The Popular Vote Versus Electoral College 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. 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. 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. 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. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. NCSL actively tracks more than 1,400 issue areas. For the popular vote, however, Hillary Clinton received 65.8 million votes, while Donald Trump received 62.9 million votes. 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. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. 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. Why National Popular Vote Is a Bad Idea | HuffPost Latest News Because there is now an even number of electoral votes, a tie is feasible. What relevance do they have today. There was a lot of confusion over how Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. Pros And Cons Of Campaign Finance Reform - 640 Words | 123 Help Me 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. Students may work individually or in small groups. States boyd, william j.d., "electoral college system challenged." national civic review 55.9 (1966): 519-23. Fifteen states and DC have already enacted it into law, for a total of 196 electoral votes. 211 Next 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. April 23, 2023. . 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. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. 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. Today, electors meet in their respective states on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December Dec. 14 this year to cast separate ballots for president and vice president, with the candidates who receive a majority of votes being elected. 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. Resource allocation would be focused on paid advertising, which would negate the need for grassroots activities. 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. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. NAPA Net Staff. 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 would be a national mandate to put someone in office, even if that winning candidate received less than 50% of the vote. All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. Additionally, the Founders reasoned that the system would prevent states with larger populations from having an unequal influence on the election. 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. A popular vote election takes all ballots that are cast, counts them, and declares the winner based on who received the most votes. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. 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. Four candidates in history have won the popular vote only to be denied the presidency by the Electoral College. Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. 27 Major Pros & Cons Of The Electoral College - E&C 2. Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections?

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