In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. 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. Longley, Robert. The Electoral College system - the way we really elect our president - has always had its detractors and lost even more public support after the 2016 election, when it became apparent that President-ElectDonald Trump might have lost the nationwide popular vote to Sec. F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. 8. Their vote only counts at the local level, not the national level, because of the electoral votes. National Popular Vote will create a single member district (all 50 states and D.C.), where the candidate with the most votes wins and . A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. PBS: What does voter turnout tell us about the 2016 election. 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. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. 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 2. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. Longley, Robert. It has been enacted by twelve states, which include Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, and California. But if some non-member An electoral college would solve . 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. N.p., n.d. 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. 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. But the biggest problem with changing how we elect our president using the NPV Compact is that its too easy to change it back. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. The pros and cons of the popular vote structure of an election allow for the majority to have their say in who they wish to serve. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. 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 . 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 would be a national mandate to put someone in office, even if that winning candidate received less than 50% of the vote. 3. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. The National Popular Vote stems from the winner-take-all approach that validates the presidential candidate interactions with only 4 out of 50 dates during their campaign. It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. Activating the National Popular Vote compact would reshape our . Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. 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. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. Longley, Robert. The Congressional District method would allocate electoral votes based on the winner of each congressional district. Thats how politics works in America. As a result, the percentage of popular votes secured by Donald Trump was just 46.4% in comparison with Hilary Clinton, who secured 48.5% of the votes. . 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 system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress (Senators and Representatives) is the total number of electoral votes it is allowed. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. 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. It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. In contrast, other issues related to the federal government are not exclusively entrusted to the states, and therefore the states lack the power to alter them. At the moment, 98 more electoral votes are needed to pass this bill in all 50 states (National Conference of State Legislators). If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. That means some voters, like Republicans in California or Democrats in Mississippi, are voting without power and without attention from their preferred candidates each year. In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. This blog post is a joint effort with Leslie Francis, former executive director of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. List of the Cons of Using the Popular Vote 1. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. And finally, the Electoral College doesnt work today anywhere near how the Founding Fathers intended it to work when they created it back in 1787. It gives more voting power to individual voters in smaller states. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. I will explain that in another blog post. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. 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. Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. Ken Bickers. 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. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. Common Cause As of December 2020, the National Popular Vote bill has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, controlling 196 electoral votes: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Using a popular vote system, candidates could campaign regionally, targeting major areas of support, to secure enough votes to win an election. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. 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 popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. There are a number of pros for this method. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the . 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." 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). 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. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. 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. Here are six reasons why legislators should reject this attempt to jettison our electoral system: 1. 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 National Popular Vote initiative transpired in 2006. 1. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. First it would be relatively easy to implement. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 5. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. The plan would not get rid of the Electoral College. mike matarazzo last photo. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . Similarly, because a national campaign mandates a national message, there would also be a smaller incentive for coalition-building or taking into account the characteristics, needs and desires of citizens in differing states and regions. 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. 3. cons of the national popular vote plan. Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. It is our national motto and is so for a reason.
