popular vote pros and cons

Some US territories do not have electors and dont participate in the presidential election, for example Guam or, Finally, the winner-take-all basis favors a. And the price is Voters know that their vote will not change much the result of the election, so they dont have motivation to go to the voting polls. Pros: No winner-take all. presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number. Poly Sci Final district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Students share their findings. In the 2016 Presidential Election if the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact had been in effect the winner of the national popular vote, Hillary Clinton, would have become president instead of Donald Trump. Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. forces political coalitions to occur within the political parties rather than within the However, during the 2000 election, it also appeared that problems in one isolated state (Florida) could influence greatly the overall outcome of the election. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. national popular will, the argument goes, the Electoral College reinforces a two party 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. 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. Keep up the good work. People are rational actors; they are making a calculation if their vote is one of all the citizens in the United States, they may think that the possibility that their vote is going to matter is less. Of those visits, nearly two-thirds took place in the four battlegrounds with the most electoral votes Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. [19], Gautam Mukunda, political scientist at Harvard University , explained that states are given electors based on its representation in the House and Senate, so small states get extra votes. Highly Recommended. Pros And Cons Of Popular Vote The electors of each district may vote for different parties. national popular majority. Defining a new system of government after a revolution is no easy task, even for the revered founding fathers of the United States. representation. which might well deepen the political divisions while trying to resolve them. exacerbate regional differences. Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Pierce, Neal R. and Longley, Lawrence D. The People's President: The Electoral College Selected students then present to the class as a whole. president. Electoral College system contributes to the cohesiveness of the country be requiring a You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. The peculiar system that emerged was the Electoral College. [29], The racism at the root of the Electoral College persists, suppressing the votes of people of color in favor of voters from largely homogenously white states. Your vote is anonymous. sets of coherent alternatives. necessary majority. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. Electoral College? would lead to the nationalization of our central government - to the detriment of the When the time came to agree on a system for choosing the president, it was all too easy for the delegates to resort to the three-fifths compromise [counting only 3/5 of the enslaved population instead of the population as a whole] as the foundation. Win popular vote in the state, you get two electoral votes. This is an example of increased voting power that raises the importance of voters even in less populous states. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 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 United States there is a two party system consisting of the Republicans and the Democrats. Washington: National Clearinghouse on Election Administration, Federal Election Commission. As of 2020, the state with the largest number of votes is California, with 55 electoral votes. Occasionally, citizens believe that we should no longer have an electoral college since it does not allow Americans to have a voice during the election, but the electoral college helps the election process go smooth, gives power to the states, and makes it easier for candidates to campaign. One can see its importance in the fact that despite Hillary Clintons national popular vote total, she won only about a sixth of the counties nationwide, with her support limited mostly to urban areas on both coasts. [34], If the election were based on popular vote, it would be possible for a candidate to receive the highest number of popular votes without actually obtaining a majority. [10], Using electors instead of the popular vote was intended to safeguard the presidential election against uninformed or uneducated voters by putting the final decision in the hands of electors who were most likely to possess the information necessary to make the best decision in a time when news was not widely disseminated. The States are even responsible for Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. Are you experiencing any technical problem with netivist? Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. Essays in Elections The Electoral College. The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. Constitutional amendment, then it is possible to solve the problem without abolishing the That is to say, when the electoral vote outcome is so obviously 3. a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. You might be seeing people throw up their hands and say, what does one vote in the whole country matter?, Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. This is because the number of Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. majorities only to the Electoral College? without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add plurality of votes in at least one State. [ 1] Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily Ultimately, they decided that when electing an executive, the Electoral College system would be implemented. College. Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. In Nebraska and Maine, the candidate that wins the states overall popular vote receives two electors, and one elector from each congressional district is apportioned to the popular vote winner in that district. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. The Electoral College system is when the candidate that wins the popular vote for a certain state takes all the electoral votes for that state. (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). End with a class discussion. represent each State's choice for the presidency (with the number of each State's This is true simply because it But what about the issues of the people living in the ignored states? History While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. Lexington Books, 1973. This might take a few seconds, please wait. What do you think? solely those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Federal The current Presidential election process uses the Electoral College system. In other words, such a system First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. Without the electoral college, groups such as Iowa farmers and Ohio factory workers would be ignored in favor of pandering to metropolitan areas with higher population densities, leaving rural areas and small towns marginalized. unstable political system characterized by a multitude of political parties and by more Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. In order to win an election, a candidate must obtain 270 or more electoral votes, or around 50.2% of all votes. After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. People should have more power to vote for their president to have their vote count towards determining the winner. On Jan. 6, 2021, Congress held a joint session to certify the electoral college votes during which several Republican lawmakers objected to the results and pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol sending Vice President Pence, lawmakers and staff to secure locations. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? If so, how? [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. As of 2020, it has garnered 196 (73% of the requirement) electoral votes and has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia. As of 2020, it has garnered 196 (73% of the requirement) electoral votes and has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia. election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather The electoral college can show changing opinions towards a candidate that the popular vote cant offer. Why or why not? In response to these arguments, proponents of The Case Against the Direct What we see is these candidates now largely ignoring large swaths of the United States where the direction of the votes is a foregone conclusion. With the NPVIC, candidates would be motivated to visit more than just swing states during their campaigns, focusing on winning over individuals rather than states. On Jan. 6, 2017, a joint session of the US Congress met to certify the election results and Vice President Joe Biden, presiding as President of the Senate, read the certified vote tally. the National Popular Vote Interstate Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming carried the same voting strength in the Electoral College (21 While this argument has a certain surface Governor Sisolak stated, the compact could diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests and force Nevadas electors to side with whoever wins the nationwide popular vote, rather than the candidate Nevadans choose. [31], Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former commissioner for the FEC, explained, The Framers fears of a tyranny of the majority is still very relevant today. The important number is 270. WebIn five elections in US history1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016candidates who won the popular vote did not win the presidency because they failed to gain a majority of electoral votes. fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the One effect of this Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. A second way in which the Electoral College WebThere can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. How is this possible? The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. States. Two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which rely on congressional districts to divvy up electoral votes. But so, as an unclear how a direct election of the president could resolve such a deep national conflict concentrate in those State with the most electoral votes, they assume an importance to popular vote Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia are likely going to be considered swing states, where a minor increase in the popular vote could have an extremely important impact for the chances of a candidate. 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. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. 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. disturbed by the possibility of electing a minority president (one without the SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. Opponents of the Electoral College are voting systems. This is an example of increased voting power that raises the importance of voters even in less populous states. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. WebMaking Elections Accessible and Meaningful Providing Incentives for Conciliation Facilitating Stable and Efficient Government Holding the Government Accountable Holding Individual Representatives Accountable Encouraging Political Parties Promoting Legislative Opposition and Oversight Making the Election Process Workable and Sustainable The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist of Presidential Elections 1789-1968. Gives too few states too much electoral power. The official general election results indicate that Trump received 304 Electoral College votes and 46.09% of the popular vote (62,984,825 votes), and Hillary Clinton received 227 Electoral College votes and 48.18% of the popular vote (65,853,516 votes). be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more While the country has This system selects electors and their job is to vote on the President and the Vice President. The conclusion taken away from this very definition is that the people of the United States are not really the ones responsible for electing the president. Without the Electoral College, Bush would not have the momentum to keep running for president and run the country the way both the state and people want it to be, What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College, The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. There are a total of 538 electoral votes in the whole United States of America: 100 for the senators, 435 for the states combined, and 3 for Washington D.C. Because the procedure for electing the president is part of the Constitution, a Constitutional Amendment (which requires two-thirds approval in both houses of Congress plus approval by 38 states) would be required to abolish the Electoral College. There have been 7 such Electors in More accurate. taken as a whole. Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote Changing to a direct election of the president would and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. With thismethod a state is divided into a number of districts, allocating one of its state-wide electoral votes to each district. Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. majorities in the States. Rank choice voting? 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. Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. New to netivist? I do not think this system is fair, I think it contradicts the fact that as Americans we are given the freedom to vote, but it seems as though the peoples vote actually doesnt decide much. its failure to accurately reflect the national mathematical process (since the individual Electors are no longer essential to its A direct popular election of the president would likely have the opposite effect. Please let us know! Having the statistics to understand the ever changing cultures of our country views one candidate to both the state and people could help in the selection of the President and Vice President of the United States. Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. The same thing happened in 2000. Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? than make a difference. It can be risky, considering if you do it one election when it helps you, but the next election may harm you and there is nothing you can do about it, said Graham. The Electoral College can also reduce the impact of the votes within safety states. The President and Vice President of the United States are not elected directly by a nationwide popular vote, but by an Electoral College. [23] [26]. The Electoral College should not be changed or abolished, but kept the same. If you feel this user's conduct is unappropriate, please report this comment and our moderaters will review its content and deal with this matter as soon as possible. popular will. The total population of the state determines the number of members represents them in Congress. College's role in reinforcing a two party system, proponents, as we shall see, find this 4. below. Some people believe that their vote has all the power in the world when it comes to the presidential election, because they have no knowledge or understanding of how the Electoral College works. have a majority of over half the State delegations in order to elect their candidate - and Many citizens feel that the Electoral College goes against our nations principle of representative democracy, while others, Every great nation started with a great leader. 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. A third way of electing a minority president ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2021 NewsHour Production LLC. national popular will in at least two respects. Because of how the system is set up, it is possible for one candidate to win the popular vote and another to win the electoral vote. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. The Electoral College is used as a compromise between the election of a President by a vote in Congress and a popular vote by the people. National Conference of State Legislatures representation in the Senate and House as they exist today, then surely these same reasons Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. What surprised them? Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. to form in an attempt to prevent whatever popular majority might be necessary to elect a I know how the president is chosen, and I believe that the set up of the electoral college is no longer. Bickel, Alexander M. Reform and Continuity. Managing Editor movements into one of the two major political parties. Such a unifying mechanism seems especially prudent in Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. Berns, Walter (ed.) In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. The winner of the states popular vote gets two electoral votes, and one vote is awarded to the winner of the popular vote in each congressional district. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. When Americans cast their ballots, they are actually voting for a slate of electors appointed by their states political parties who are pledged to support that partys candidate.

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