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. The National Popular Vote (NPV) refers to the concept of allocating a state's presidential electors to the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide regardless of the state results in a presidential election. 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. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. 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 It gives more voting power to individual voters in smaller states. 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. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among states and the District of Columbia to award their respective electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote of the presidential election. 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. Electing a president who did not have broad regional support could lead to a fractured and less cohesive country, according to the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 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. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. 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. 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. 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. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. Part of HuffPost Politics. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. June 7, 2022 . According to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, some proponents of the Electoral College argue that it isolates election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. Their vote only counts at the local level, not the national level, because of the electoral votes. The time to stop its momentum is now. It would limit the influence of local issues in the 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. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. 4. It could encourage voter turnout. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it . It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. 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. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact collectively apportions votes to the winner of the overall popular vote without a constitutional amendment abolishing the electoral college or the assent of Congress. This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. For the 7 presidential elections between 1992-2016, the Republican candidate has won the Electoral college 3 times. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. 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. . 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. Feb 25, 2023. The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. 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. 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). The bill has crossed paths with 36 legislative chambers and has been sponsored or voted for by 3,112 state legislators (National Popular Vote). When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. 3. The country thinks we are going to elect the president using the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system tans and then four months before the election we change to the National Popular Vote Compact system and elect the president by whoever gets the most popular votes. 9. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? However, Hilary Clinton won 2.6 million more popular votes nationwide than Donald Trump. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. 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. 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. 7. It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. Longley, Robert. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. But the much greater danger to American democracy is that direct elections may make it possible for a president to be elected by no more than 30 percent of the vote, regardless of his or her suitability for office, so long as there is sufficient money and a clever media advisor behind the effort. National Popular Vote Plan page 3 that non-member states that fail to hold such elections will not be included in the determination of 'the national popular vote winner.' This sidesteps the problem and provides an incentive for all states (non-members as well as members) to (continue to) hold such elections. Their answer is simple: one in which every citizen's vote is equal to every other citizen's vote and one in which the winner of the presidential popular vote, no matter how small his or her percentage is of those who voted, would be elected. This move would ensure that the Presidency would be given to the candidate that received the most popular votes all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. As of July 2020, a National Popular Vote bill has been signed into law in 16 states controlling a total of 196 electoral votes, including 4 small states, 8 medium-sized states, 3 big states (California, Illinois, and New York), and the District of Columbia. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. 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. Because a direct election would be, by definition, national and resource allocation would be overwhelmingly dominated by paid television advertising, there would be little impetus for grass-roots activity. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. 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. 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. 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. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. Imperfect, because its modern-day blessings -- enhancing coalition building, pluralism, federalism and grass-roots participation -- are enjoyed only by a minority of states (in any given presidential election 18 or 20), where the battle for electoral votes is competitive for both major parties. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the . 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. Louisiana voters should decide who receives Louisiana's electoral votes. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. 6. In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. A Critique of the National Popular Vote October 13, 2008 Policy Analysis No. 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 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. 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. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. That means the cost of counting all the votes would be duplicated. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. For the popular vote, however, Hillary Clinton received 65.8 million votes, while Donald Trump received 62.9 million votes. Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. 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. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. 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. However, many people believe that a direct popular election is more democratic and fair than the Electoral College. The NPV is a multi-state agreement that, when active, would ensure that the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote nationally also wins in the Electoral College. 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. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. 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. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. 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. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. Because of the Winner-Take-All state laws candidates for president only campaign and spend their money in 12-13 swing states because voters in those few swing states determine who wins the election and presidential candidates totally ignore voters in the rest of the country(except to raise money). The lack of competition and campaigning in a majority of states owes itself not to the existence of the Electoral College's indirect method of choosing presidents but rather to the winner-take-all method of choosing electors in all but two states. A plan to enact the National Popular Vote was introduced in the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. 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. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. The NPVIC is an agreement among states designed to guarantee election of the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. NPV is grounded in two powers delegated to states by the Constitution: the power to design rules for awarding their electoral votes and the power to enter into interstate A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. 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. If the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact becomes law it would be an excellent first step to help get a future amendment to the Constitution to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect the president with a national popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. (LogOut/ 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 1. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 41 States (with 80% of U.S. population) will be Ignored in the 2024 Presidential Election. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. 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. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. 4. But in practice it could happen every 10 or 20 years when the Electoral College votes change because the congressional boundaries change with the new population census. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. It was a great idea in 1787 but the country has changed since 1787 and the people today want to elect the president by a simple, direct popular vote where whoever gets the most votes wins like we do in every other election in the country. This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. . It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. Under the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system votes in small states, like Wyoming or Delaware count double what votes in large states like California or Texas. If this happens many people in the red states will not feel that the change is legitimate even if its legal and technically constitutional. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. And unlike direct elections, either would provide an incentive for grass-roots activity, coalition building and enhanced citizen participation. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. 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." Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. 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. To determine the National Popular Vote winner, state election officials simply would tally the nationwide vote for president based on each states official results. They have only won the popular vote once. Would you like to get a custom essay? By continuing well assume youre on board with our, https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Select a writer from a large pool of experts. 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. 5. Under the National Popular Vote plan,the compact would take effect only when enabling legislation has been enacted by states collectively possessing a majority of the electoral votes:270 of 538 total. "The National Popular Vote Plan." If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors and a majority of 270 electoral votes is mandatory to nominate the President. The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . 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. How about receiving a customized one? Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. 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. 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. 6. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. An electoral college would solve . 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." It would be a national mandate to put someone in office, even if that winning candidate received less than 50% of the vote. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. 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. Start and finish your paper with ease. Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. But don't forget, Bush won the popular vote four years later by three million votes. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). The use of the Electoral College has been the only approach the U.S. has used to gain a President, but this way has generated numerous issues. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. 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. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. 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 . By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Mayors, governors, and senators are all elected by a simple majority. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. I will explain that in another blog post. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. Even though we will be able to elect the president by national popular vote using the The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, eventually the rules for how we elect the president should be an official part of the Constitution. 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). evergreen funeral home live stream. 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. In theory that could happen every four years. 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. Lincoln Chafee (D) made his state the latest to sign on. And that would lead to chaos in how political parties campaign for president and could also undermine the legitimacy of the process. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. "The National Popular Vote Plan." 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. Presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, or campaign in states that they cannot possibly win or lose; in 2016, 68% of presidential campaign visits took place in just six states. During a popular vote, a candidate who withdraws from the race or dies before the election can be held could still be on the ballot. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 The National Popular Vote plan does not do away with the Electoral College system, an action that would require a constitutional amendment. A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. 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. 2. Or the opposite could be true. ThoughtCo. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. 1. List of the Cons of Proportional Representation. 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. That nightmare may seem like a pleasant dream if NPV has its way. In summary, a popular vote is simply a vote in which the individual or issue with the most total votes from a population of voters is the winner. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. National Popular Vote (NPV) was founded in 2006 by lottery scratch-card inventor John Koza and election lawyer Barry Fadem to lobby for an "interstate compact" for states to deliver their electoral votes for President to the "winner" of the national popular vote.