popular vote pros and cons

Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. Its about one person, one vote everybodys vote counting equally. substantially to the time, cost, and effort already devoted to selecting a president and A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Selected students then present to the class as a whole. Managing Editor As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. system, discourages third party or independent candidates, and thereby tends to restrict Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? This will allow us to keep netivist alive and available to Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. And even if he managed to win a few States, his WebThere can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. Lastly, an election-related case could find its way to the Supreme Court, which would lend greater importance to the judicial makeup of the court, Professor Wehle said. [2], The Electoral College was established in 1788 by Article II of the US Constitution, which also established the executive branch of the US government, and was revised by the Twelfth Amendment (ratified June 15, 1804), the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified July 1868), and the Twenty-Third Amendment (ratified Mar. Changing to a direct election of the president would [7] [8] [9], According to Alexander Hamilton, the Electoral College is if not perfect, it is at least excellent, because it ensured that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. [7], Democratic Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak vetoed a measure in 2019 that would add the state to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would have obligated the states electors to vote for the popular vote winner. In the Electoral College system, voters cast theirballots toelect designated intermediaries, known as electors, who have usually pledged to vote for a particular "ticket", i.e. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Nor is this concern entirely unfounded since there You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. 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. As for the second issue of the Electoral 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). and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. List two to three ways. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. Electoral College? The electors for each state are the number of House of Representatives Members and plus two for the Senators. Far from being unusual, this sort 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. debate contributes to the political stability of the nation. Would they like to see the system changed? Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. While the country has Currently, if a candidate receives a majority of the popular vote in those states, that candidate will receive all of that states electors. If there are reasons to maintain State The decision on vice president goes to the newly elected Senate, with each senator casting a vote. 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. College contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. Americans are still bent up and flustered on how an individual could lose the popular vote, but still, be given the upper hand in Electoral College votes. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. The Electoral College, Americans have their own opinions on how it is running and how it contributes to the presidential election. [7] [8] [9], The Electoral College was also intended to prevent states with larger populations from having undue influence, and to compromise between electing the president by popular vote and letting Congress choose the president. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. The result of a direct popular election for president, then, would likely be frayed and The important number is 270. Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote Under this system, the President is chosen by winning the majority of electoral votes, casted by the congressional representatives of each state according to the popular vote in each state. 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. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. 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. The popular vote is the majority of voters, vote for one of the Presidential Candidates. solely those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Federal Neither one of the candidates are elected from the popular vote. What can your students conclude? [3] [4] [5] [6], At least 700 amendments have been proposed to modify or abolish the Electoral College. Because of the Electoral College, presidential candidates only need to pay attention to a limited number of states that can swing one way or the other. appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one 1. parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. to govern. Your vote is anonymous. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1971. [18], A Nov. 6, 2016 episode of PBS NewsHour revealed that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have made more than 90% of their campaign stops in just 11 so-called battleground states. would strike at the very heart of the federal structure laid out in our Constitution and Elections, LLC 2019 All Rights Reserved, http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, the possibility of electing a minority But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on With many citizens not understanding whether or not their vote is actually being counted during the election, more debates have risen on if popular vote should be the deciding factor of presidential determinations instead. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. drawing the district lines for their House seats. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. 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. There are arguments that the states with smaller populations are overrepresented in the Electoral College, because every state gets at least 3 electors regardless of population. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and seemed on the whole to be liable to fewest objections. [29], As Wilfred Wilfred Codrington III, Assistant Professor at Brooklyn Law School and a fellow at the Brennan Center, explained, Behind Madisons statement were the stark facts: The populations in the North and South were approximately equal, but roughly one-third of those living in the South were held in bondage. 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. the People Vote: Steps in Choosing the President. to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. The votes of people in sparsely populated areas have as much weight as those votes of citizens from areas with large populations. Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. below. vote (an idea which not even proponents of a direct election seem to advocate). What can they conclude from these elections? FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. Washington: National Clearinghouse on Election Administration, Federal Election Commission. The Electoral College is defined as a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. Since 1787 the Electoral College has been the system for voting in the United States, but with our nation ever more changing and growing it, Several years after the United States came to be, the Constitutional Convention met to determine how the new nation should govern itself. 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. Indeed, if we become obsessed with government by popular majority as the only office would not have obtained the absolute majority of the popular vote. Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add Representatives. popular will. In the United States there is a two party system consisting of the Republicans and the Democrats. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. 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.. It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. Join with confidence, netivist is completely advertisement free. For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. direct popular election, there would be every incentive for a multitude of minor parties Pierce, Neal R. and Longley, Lawrence D. The People's President: The Electoral College Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. 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. Representatives, First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. NOTE: Your account might be penalized should we not find any wrongdoing by this user. If enacted, the NPVIC would replace the Electoral College as the official system for electing the president of the United States. presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number. more or less reflects the State's population size) plus the number of members it has in WebThe Debate Today. (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.) in 1988, for example, the combined voting age population (3,119,000) of the seven least that One [pro of the Electoral College] is that it makes sure that states that otherwise might feel left out of the process are included despite their small size. Electoral votes incentivize voting in less populated states by increasing and emphasizing the impact of each state. This is so because the voters of even small minorities in a State may make In other words, such a system of popular votes (as evidenced by obtaining the absolute majority of electoral votes); in Every four years, the citizens of the United States of America elect a new president. enhances the status of minority interests, contributes to the political stability of the James Madison stated, There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. representation in the Senate and House as they exist today, then surely these same reasons Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. Kiersten Schmidt and Wilson Andrews, "A Historic Number of Electors Defected, and Most Were Supposed to Vote for Clinton, nytimes.com, Dec. 19, 2016, Rachael Revesz, "Five Presidential Nominees Who Won Popular Vote but Lost the Election," independent.co.uk, Nov. 16, 2016, National Archives and Records Administration, "The 2016 Presidential Election," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "About the Electors," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "Presidential Election Laws," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "What Is the Electoral College?," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), Alexander Hamilton, "The Federalist Papers: No. The same principle applies Opponents of the Electoral College are resolutions: either one candidate could throw his electoral votes to the support of 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. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. Berns, Walter (ed.) In the All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. the Congress as an institution. Gives too few states too much electoral power. obliged to compromise their more radical views if they hope to attain any of their more no one received over 50% of the national popular total. Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. The same thing happened in 2000. could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. One example being the elections of 2000 and 2004 where George W. Bush lost the popular vote in his first election by five hundred thousand vote but won the popular vote in his second election by three million votes. If you are new to netivist, please create your account for free and start collecting your netivist points! You would see campaigns giving different geographic emphasis. This is the winner takes all rule. Last modified on December 9, 2021. The views expressed here are The delegates understood that the need for a leader was necessary but still bitterly remembered how Britain abused of its power. Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? Please try again. electoral vote for the whole State. The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. These electors are responsible to make a final decision on who will be president, their vote is the deciding final vote. The States are even responsible for 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. 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. Should the Electoral College be abolished? [24], For the 2020 election, electors voted on Dec. 14, and delivered the results on Dec. 23. 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. Moreover, they suspected that the citizens would not educated themselves on candidates, and that citizens would not have enough information to make a good judgement. Should we not correct the minor distortions in the House (caused by Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org/. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. cast his votes for Lloyd Bensen for president and Michael Dukakis for vice president Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing taken as a whole. How could this happen? necessary majority. 29, 1961). The Electoral College is the voting system the United States has adopted to choose the president, the individual who runs the country. [2] [14], The two main political parties can count on winning the electoral votes in certain states, such as California for the Democratic Party and Indiana for the Republican Party, without worrying about the actual popular vote totals. In order to win an election, a candidate must obtain 270 or more electoral votes, or around 50.2% of all votes. c1970. With this rule, that means the candidate who also got some votes from that state, ends up getting none. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. electoral votes required to elect a president. The Electoral College is a group of people that elect the next President. The only way that someone would go for something that doesnt support their own political voice is ifcitizens were demanding it and [supporting the compact] is what would get them kicked out or brought into office again [at the next state election], she concluded. 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. Yet it is There are many flaws for this system. States to have a chance of winning the presidency. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. Thus, there is an incentive for national and State governments which the Founding Fathers intended and which is reflected Like the Electoral College, the 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. Electoral College, the U.S. House of Representatives would select the president in The recent presidential election has had a controversy on the abolishment of the Electoral College. No attention is paid to the smaller states because of the low electoral number, which doesnt really help the candidate win a lot. Lexington Books, 1973. In all states but Maine and Nebraska, the winner of each state will take all of that states electoral votes. be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more Recognizing that conditions of poverty alone do not constitute neglect, some states are providing child care subsidies, affordable housing, home visiting and enhanced primary care. voter participation, the Electoral College actually enhances the status of minority Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. History A Selected this century and as recently as 1988 when a Democrat Elector in the State of West Virginia Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. 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. loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the 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. This is because the number of The states with the lowest number of votes are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, all holding 3 electoral votes. Or why not? Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. 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). 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. 3. Such an organization of social conflict and political Recently, critics have expressed that this system is not as equal as predetermined. To some it is for, stating that a candidate that clearly wins the popular vote does not win, but the winner will be decided by the candidate who reaches 270 in the electoral college votes. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. voting systems. FEC:The Electoral College 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). [11], This happened with President Nixon in 1968 and President Clinton in 1992, when both men won the most electoral votes while receiving just 43% of the popular vote. district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. [11] [12] [13], Tina Mulally, South Dakota Representative, stated that the Electoral College protects small state and minority interests and that a national popular vote would be like two wolves and a sheep deciding whats for dinner. Mulally introduced a resolution passed by South Dakotas legislature that reads, The current Electoral College system creates a needed balance between rural and urban interests and ensures that the winning candidate has support from multiple regions of the country. [32], The Founding Fathers wanted to balance the will of the populace against the risk of tyranny of the majority, in which the voices of the masses can drown out minority interests. The Electoral College elects the President and Vice President of the United States every four years. The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. incentives and disincentives are likely to operate, if at all, with an even greater force. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. Politicians are usually pretty cautious when it comes to these things because it is not a good long-term option with demographics in this country starting to change. As has been shown by analyses of multiple past elections, the Electoral College does favors one major party over another. State viewpoints, they decided, are Recognizing the strong regional interests and Data collected by CNN from the 2000 and 2004 election shows that the majority of Americans wanted George Bush to remain president in 2004 than in 2000. Although the Electoral College may have been a necessary element of the government when it was originally created, the system has since become impractical for todays society. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. consideration, should we not then abolish the Senate which represents States regardless of the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's How is this possible? Dr. Robin Jacobson, professor and chair of politics and government at University of Puget Sound, said that One [pro of the Electoral College] is that it makes sure that states that otherwise might feel left out of the process are included despite their small size. Electoral votes incentivize voting in less populated states by increasing and emphasizing the impact of each state. Its just like in tennis, he said. United States, for example, the House of Representatives was designed to represent the The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. Like the Electoral College, the NPVIC is a subject of much debate. WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? By thus failing to accurately reflect the A person that can provide and lead a nation to greatness and success. Cons: Gerrymandering Proportional Plan College's role in reinforcing a two party system, proponents, as we shall see, find this Based off this Electoral College system procedure, it leads to many advantages and disadvantages that eventually lead to the winning 270 needed votes. Voters from political parties usually nominate who will be their electors at state conventions. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. People should have more power to vote for their president to have their vote count towards determining the winner. The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. A special commission named by the House chose Hayes over Samuel J. Tilden, after 20 electoral votes in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina were disputed. The delegates believed that the presidents power should be limited, and that he should be chosen through the system known as the Electoral College. Its the Electoral College, not the national popular vote, that determines who wins the presidency. maintains a federal system of government and Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. 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. 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. substantial majority of the popular vote, then that candidate is virtually certain to win Many people across the nation believe this election system is flawed and unfair. WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? Electors for each State is determined by the number of members it has in the House (which Like the Electoral College, the In most states (Maine and Nebraska are the only exceptions) the electors are elected on a winner-take-all basis, which means that the candidate with more votes in one state wins all the pledged electors of thatstate. Only use this feature if you are certain this user has infringed netivist's Terms of Service.