With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. 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. National Popular Vote values rural and urban voters equally. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. (2020, December 16). This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. 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. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election There are pros and cons to both systems. A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Education, Explore state by state cost analysis of US colleges in an interactive article, Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections: The Electoral College, University of the Pacific: Electoral College Reform, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School: The Electoral College. It is perhaps the most simplistic form of an election. 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. A Critique of the National Popular Vote October 13, 2008 Policy Analysis No. Ken Bickers. (LogOut/ 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. Using a popular vote system, candidates could campaign regionally, targeting major areas of support, to secure enough votes to win an election. 2. 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. Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. I will explain that in another blog post. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. Under the electoral college system (and other voting systems not based on popular voting), it only takes one extra vote more than the other candidate to create the needed results for the election. 13 Early College High School Pros and Cons, 18 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period, 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Leasing a Car, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing, 24 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of a C Corporation, 16 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Mediation, 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gated Community, 17 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups, 17 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds, 19 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Annuities, 17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising. 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. A simple change in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could fix the flaw and still provide the benefits of a popular election. For example, if a candidate was very popular in New York City, Los Angeles and other large cities, she might not need to earn votes from other areas of the country. 5. When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. All states could adopt the system that now exists in Maine and Nebraska, where all but two electors are chosen by congressional district, and the other two go to the statewide winner. That structure makes it easier for extremist views to find official representation. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. . 10 Apr. [Add switching votes of losing party to the other partys voter totals in every state using the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system (except for 5 EC votes in Maine and Nebraska that are awarded proportionally instead of by Winner-Take-All.]. 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. How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? 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. It could help to reduce partisanship. 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. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). In theory that could happen every four years. 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. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. tobin james the blend 2017 ; real estate marketing solutions; cons of the national popular vote plan; lassi kefalonia shops cons of the national popular vote plan First it would be relatively easy to implement. However, Hilary Clinton won 2.6 million more popular votes nationwide than Donald Trump. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. State Question 820 lays out a statutory framework for a recreational industry that would begin about 90 days after election results are certified. sale of united methodist church property. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the . 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. National Popular Vote proponents argue that the United States has had four presidential elections in which the plurality winner of the popular vote was not chosen as president. 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. (2021, Jun 14). cons of the national popular vote plan. If this happens many people in the red states will not feel that the change is legitimate even if its legal and technically constitutional. 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. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. cons of the national popular vote planchicago religious demographics. Pros & Cons of a National Popular Vote Buy Complete Issue $19.95 Login or Subscribe The National Popular Vote How would the interstate compact work? 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. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. 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. 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. 3. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. And in all states but Maine and Nebraska, the candidate who receives the most votes in that state is awarded all of its electoral votes, whether the split is 51% to 49% or 99% to 1%. Washington, DC 20005, Common Cause pays tribute to our leader, our friend, and a lifelong advocate for our democracy, Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Issues, Ensure Fair Districts & Reflective Democracy, Expand Voting Rights & Election Integrity, Promote Free Speech & Accountability in Media, Protect the Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Reforms. 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. The NPVC is a proposed interstate compact in which the signatory states agree that they will appoint their presidential electors in accordance with the national popular vote rather than their own state electorate's vote. 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. 9. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. and our Today, many electors are bound to vote according to their states' popular vote results, and those who aren't almost always do. evergreen funeral home live stream. Samploon is a database of free essay samples. Our experts will write for you an essay on any topic, with any deadline and requirements from scratch, Electoral College and National Popular Vote Pros and Cons. 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. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. 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 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. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz often split about 60% of the GOP vote, which allowed Donald Trump to win early primaries with 35% of the vote. 3. Louisiana voters should decide who receives Louisiana's electoral votes. Con:not Eliminate possibility that loser of the popular vote can still win the electoral vote The Proportional Plan A proposed reform where each presidential candidate would receive the percent of electoral votes that they win from each state Proportional Plan Pro:Possible for loser of popular vote to win presidency. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. NPV supporters claim, accurately, that a direct election for president would reduce or eliminate the possibility that a fringe candidate (like a Ralph Nader or Ron Paul) winning five percent or less of the vote in a single state could serve to defeat a major party candidate from the same side of the political spectrum. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . 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. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. Mayors, governors, and senators are all elected by a simple majority. Candidates get one vote for every congressional district they win, and then two votes for winning the state-wide vote. Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. In states with large population centers, individual voters have less power than voters in smaller states. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . 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 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. 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. Electoral college reform proposals include (1) the district plan, awarding each state's two at-large electoral votes to the statewide popular vote winners, and one electoral vote to the winning candidates in each congressional district; (2) the proportional plan, awarding electoral votes in states in direct proportion to the popular vote gained The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. 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. 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. To take effect, the National Popular Vote bill must be enacted by the state legislatures of states controlling a total of 270 electoral votes - a majority of the overall 538 electoral votes and the number currently required to elect a president. It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. cons of the national popular vote plan. 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. Cons of Electoral College. It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. As a result, an agreement between a group of states to cast all of their electoral votes in a similar manner, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan passes constitutional muster. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. 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. It would be a national mandate to put someone in office, even if that winning candidate received less than 50% of the vote. A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. The National Popular Vote Plan. 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). ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. There would be fewer opportunities to illegally alter the results of an election. I am confident that when we enter the next phase where the popular vote leans Republican that Republicans will change and be adamant that we should elect the president by direct popular vote and Democrats will be arguing why we should keep the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. A plan to enact the National Popular Vote was introduced in the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. 5. A candidate may not have to concentrate anymore, but they may have to move their attention to states such as Texas, New York, California, and Alaska. The Electoral College was established in the Constitution to protect minority interests and mitigate the possibility of a regional candidate. Note: Today we are in a phase where the popular vote in presidential elections leans Democratic. After the 2016 presidential election, political science expert Nate Silver wrote that, since the swing states are not likely to support any plan that might reduce their influence over control of the White House, the National Popular Vote bill will not succeed unless the predominately Republican red states adopt it. 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. When the Constitution was set in place in 1789, the U.S. elected its first president. For the popular vote, however, Hillary Clinton received 65.8 million votes, while Donald Trump received 62.9 million votes. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. The time to stop its momentum is now. The alternative view of democracy is more complex; it is one that includes but is not limited to the pursuit of equality. Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. 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. Today the Democrats want to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system with a direct popular vote and the Republicans adamantly want to keep it. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. 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." 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. The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. The states that join the NPV Compact will not be able to certify their Electoral College Votes until all 50 states and DC certify their state popular votes and any mandated/requested recounts since the Compact state ECVs are dependent on the winner of the national popular vote and not just their own state popular votes. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. The states would implement this plan once enough states controlling 270 electoral votes have signed on, guaranteeing that the national popular vote winner will win the presidency.. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their electoral votes to whichever presidential ticket wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. Where the National Popular Vote Plan Stands. 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. Or states might explore what was recently proposed in Colorado -- that electors be allocated in proportion to each candidate's share of the popular vote above a certain threshold. List of the Cons of Proportional Representation. The National Popular Vote compact would have the same effect as a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College but has the benefit of retaining the power to control presidential elections in states hands. 1. We have seen this outcome in the 2016 Presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and in the 2000 election between George H.W. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. 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. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. Just 12 Closely Divided Battleground States Got 96% of 2020 Campaign Events. The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. The plan would not get rid of the Electoral College. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. The NPV movement seeks to create an unfair and unconstitutional system that diminishes the voting rights of citizens throughout the country and raises the prospect of increased voter fraud and. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. For example, if a state used NPV and voted for candidate A, but candidate B received the most votes nationwide, the state would allocate its presidential electors to candidate B. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 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). Then, election officials in all participating states would choose the electors sworn to support thepresidential candidate who received the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 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." In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. Thats how politics works in America. Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. But the biggest problem with changing how we elect our president using the NPV Compact is that its too easy to change it back. 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.