Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. Bosque de Palabras sale of united methodist church property. 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. 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. 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 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. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me 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. 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. 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. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. The election is held every four years on the first Tuesday in November and prior to election day, the two candidates endure state-level primaries, caucuses, debates, and conventions. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. First it would be relatively easy to implement. A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. 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 (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. It gives more voting power to individual voters in smaller states. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. That structure makes it easier for extremist views to find official representation. Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. 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. The Congressional District method would allocate electoral votes based on the winner of each congressional district. The amendment requires that any change to the rate of compensation for members of Congress can only take effect after a subsequent election in the House of Representatives. Resource allocation would be focused on paid advertising, which would negate the need for grassroots activities. 2015. Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. 5. This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. June 7, 2022 . How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? 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 would reduce the threshold necessary to win the office. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. Thats a bank of about 14 million potential voters that reliably vote as a majority for Democratic candidates. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. 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. If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. 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. Because of the state Winner-Take-All rules, which arent even part of the Constitution, they can lead to presidential elections where the winner of the election doesnt have the most popular votes. 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. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. Before the 2016 election, the largest vote deficit in the popular vote was Al Gore securing over 500,000 votes more than George W. Bush. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. For example: States already have the power to award their electors to the winner of the national popular vote, although this would be disadvantageous to the state that did so unless it was joined simultaneously by other states that represent a majority of electoral votes. 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. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. 3. 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. It is perhaps the most simplistic form of an election. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. Cons of Electoral College. What would happen during a switch to the popular vote would be unknown. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. 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. 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. 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%. 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. This has occurred in only four of the 58 presidential . The method works by electing one elector within each congressional district by popular vote and selecting the remaining two electors by a statewide popular vote. 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. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. 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. 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. mike matarazzo last photo. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. Web. Because there was a difference of less than 1,000 tabulated votes between George W. Bush and Al Gore in one state, Florida, the nation watched as 6 million votes were recounted by machine, several hundred thousand were recounted by hand in counties with differing recount standards, partisan litigators fought each other in state and federal courts, the secretary of state backed by the majority of state legislators (all Republicans) warred with the state's majority Democratic judiciary -- until 37 days after the election the U.S. Supreme Court, in a bitterly controversial 5-4 decision effectively declared Bush the winner. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. 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. (LogOut/ In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. 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. That means the cost of counting all the votes would be duplicated. Longley, Robert. 7. Today, many electors are bound to vote according to their states' popular vote results, and those who aren't almost always do. 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. On April 15, 2014 Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York State quietly signed into law the National Popular Vote, making New York the 10th state -- along with the District of Columbia -- to support this effort, while also boosting the total numbers to 165 of the 270 electoral votes needed to make a true national popular vote a reality. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. Using a popular vote system, candidates could campaign regionally, targeting major areas of support, to secure enough votes to win an election. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. The National Popular Vote plan does not do away with the Electoral College system, an action that would require a constitutional amendment. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. 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. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). But the national popular vote plan doesn't require a . The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) 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. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. They have only won the popular vote once. I fear that most, if not all, of the states signing onto the NPV Compact will be just blue states. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. and our Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. (LogOut/ 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 framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. 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. 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." 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. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the . That nightmare may seem like a pleasant dream if NPV has its way. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? Now, the states are considering the National Popular Vote plan, a system that, while not doing away with the Electoral College system, would modify it to ensure that the candidate winning the national popular vote is ultimately elected president. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. 9. Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their votes. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. 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. 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. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. 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. 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. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular 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 . Candidates get one vote for every congressional district they win, and then two votes for winning the state-wide vote. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. 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. 3. Today, the fact that Nebraska and Maine do not use the winner-take-all system serves as proof that modifying the Electoral College system, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan is constitutional and does not require a constitutional amendment. It happened once, in 1876. On average, studies show that falls in line with historical averages showing around 60 percent of eligible voters casting a vote in presidential election years. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. The bill has passed one chamber in 12 additional states with 96 electoral votes. Thats how politics works in America. All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. 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. 6. In the 2020 election California did not certify their votes until Friday, December 11, only 3 days before the Electoral College met on Monday, December, 14. (LogOut/ (See: Electoral Votes by State). That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. 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. 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. Moving to the popular vote structure would eliminate this potential issue. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). The time to stop its momentum is now. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. National Popular Vote values rural and urban voters equally. 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. evergreen funeral home live stream. This advance is referred to as the winner-take-all approach. A popular vote election takes all ballots that are cast, counts them, and declares the winner based on who received the most votes. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. Here is the entire text of the proposed "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." Tweet Email this More on The Electoral College: Honorable Steve Cohen And thats not how it should be in a democracy. But for those people who feel that changing how we elect the president should only be done by constitutional amendment they will feel that using the NPV Compact will undermine the legitimacy of the process even though its perfectly legal and constitutional. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. . The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. 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. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. 4. Lastly, it may cause a third-party candidate to prevail and win, which would allow Americans to be given more choices besides the two primary parties (Richards). That created a voter value of 2.85. Lincoln Chafee (D) made his state the latest to sign on. These battleground or swing states receive 7% more federal grants, twice as many presidential disaster declarations, more Superfund enforcement exemptions, and more No Child Left Behind law exemptions (National Popular Vote). 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. Longley, Robert. "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. 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 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? The United States does not have direct election of its president, yet most national, state and local offices are filled by the candidate with the most votes. 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). Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. 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. Though the original, some would say highly undemocratic, purpose. The National Bonus Plan was proposed by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Just 12 Closely Divided Battleground States Got 96% of 2020 Campaign Events. 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. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. 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. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. 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 It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. That could lead to a very bad situation where, instead of the people voting in November to determine who the next president is, one or two states could effectively decide who becomes the next president simply by joining or withdrawing from the NPV Compact and changing the rules on how the votes for president are counted in the next election. 5. For the 7 presidential elections between 1992-2016, the Republican candidate has won the Electoral college 3 times. Activating the National Popular Vote compact would reshape our . 2. 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.

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