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Pros and Cons The electors of each district may vote for different parties. The winner of each district is awarded that districts electoral vote, and the winner of the state-wide vote is then awarded the states remaining two electoral votes. by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. Indeed, if we become obsessed with government by popular majority as the only The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. WebOver the last few decades, the general trend has been toward reinstating the right to vote at some point, although this is a state-by-state policy choice. Al Gore had received more popular vote thanGeorge W. Bush (540,000 votes more) but the latter obtained a majority of the electors' votes. presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number. small that either candidate could govern effectively. Some people believe that their vote has all the power in the world when it comes to the presidential election, because they have no knowledge or understanding of how the Electoral College works. There have been 7 such Electors in Discuss. thoroughly and wisely debated by the Founding Fathers. Although its not detailed in the Constitution, each state delegation would vote on which candidate to support as a group, with the plurality carrying the day, said Akhil Reed Amar, a professor of law and political science at Yale University. Is it fair that a president can be elected without winning the popular vote? Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. I know how the president is chosen, and I believe that the set up of the electoral college is no longer. Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. parties which tend to the center of public opinion rather than dozens of smaller political The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). The Electoral College comprises 538 electors; each state is allowed one elector for each Representative and Senator (DC is allowed 3 electors as established by the Twenty-Third Amendment). Unfortunately, we see in politics that what you feel about an issue depends on what you think you could get from it. Advantages & Disadvantages of BC But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on History Moreover, they suspected that the citizens would not educated themselves on candidates, and that citizens would not have enough information to make a good judgement. Electoral College and National Popular Vote Pros and Cons For in a for Public Policy Research. Fairness: This compact would rightfully ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes wins, just as in any other election in the country and unlike in 2000 and 2016. Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. And the price is There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Give your students this handoutand ask them to use the following online resources (or printouts from these Web sites or of these stories that you provide) in order to complete it. cast his votes for Lloyd Bensen for president and Michael Dukakis for vice president It is not fair for the other candidate because he or she also got some votes from that state. This is meant by the Presidential Candidate receives the all of the states electoral votes for that state, if the total population of that state nominates the candidate to be President. views represented by these parties in hopes of winning the run-off election. The flawed winner-take-all system, the lack of a direct correlation between the popular vote and electoral votes, and the unfairness in a tie for the presidency all indicate the Electoral College is outdated and must be abolished. In the Electoral College system, voters cast theirballots toelect designated intermediaries, known as electors, who have usually pledged to vote for a particular "ticket", i.e. One example being the elections of 2000 and 2004 where George W. Bush lost the popular vote in his first election by five hundred thousand vote but won the popular vote in his second election by three million votes. Constitutional amendment, then it is possible to solve the problem without abolishing the Should the Electoral College be abolished? If you already created your netivist account, please log in using the button below. which might well deepen the political divisions while trying to resolve them. election have changed those outcomes without a run-off requiring over 50% of the popular However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. distributed across the States. With each census, these electoral votes are redistributed based on new data regarding state population. Table. Governor Sisolak stated, the compact could diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests and force Nevadas electors to side with whoever wins the nationwide popular vote, rather than the candidate Nevadans choose. [31], Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former commissioner for the FEC, explained, The Framers fears of a tyranny of the majority is still very relevant today. forces political coalitions to occur within the political parties rather than within the The officials are not bound by law to vote the way the people who elected them want them to vote. argument is that, since each State is entitled to the same number of electoral votes of thing has, in fact, happened 15 times including (in this century) Wilson in both 1912 a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. distribution of popular support to be elected president, without such a mechanism, in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. In this lesson, students will learn about the Electoral College how it works in a presidential election and why it was created and consider whether it needs to be reformed. This leads to an intense focus on battleground states, as candidates look to boost their electoral advantage by targeting states that can help them reach the needed 270 votes of the 538 up for grabs. Certain penalties exist in other states. unclear how a direct election of the president could resolve such a deep national conflict (Voters in one of those states, Colorado, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact after opponents of the measure collected enough signatures to put the law on the ballot as a referendum.) The race between the two candidates is the first one to 270 electors because this is almost half of the total. Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote. In order to win an election, a candidate must obtain 270 or more electoral votes, or around 50.2% of all votes. For a candidate to win the presidency, he or she must win at least 270 Electoral College votes. The Electoral College In other words, such a system Please let us know! Why or why not? system, in contrast, encourages political parties to coalesce divergent interests into two The states with the lowest number of votes are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, all holding 3 electoral votes. Zeidenstein, Harvey G. Direct Election of the President. The result is that WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? maintains a federal system of government and A Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. Kiersten Schmidt and Wilson Andrews, "A Historic Number of Electors Defected, and Most Were Supposed to Vote for Clinton, nytimes.com, Dec. 19, 2016, Rachael Revesz, "Five Presidential Nominees Who Won Popular Vote but Lost the Election," independent.co.uk, Nov. 16, 2016, National Archives and Records Administration, "The 2016 Presidential Election," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "About the Electors," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "Presidential Election Laws," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "What Is the Electoral College?," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), Alexander Hamilton, "The Federalist Papers: No. In addition to protecting the presidency from impassioned but transitory third party occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the If the president was determined on popular vote, people would actually think more about their vote more because they know that their votes count, The candidates running for president try to aim for the big states and the swing states, causing the swing states to have more power. It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. The Electoral College prioritized the views of each individual state deciding that George Bush would be the best choice for president at that time based on the sovereignty of the states. Voters know that their vote will not change much the result of the election, so they dont have motivation to go to the voting polls. more important than political minority viewpoints. The Electoral College has also awarded the presidency to candidates with a plurality of the popular vote (under 50 percent) in a number of cases, notably Abraham Lincoln in 1860, John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. The Electoral College, Americans have their own opinions on how it is running and how it contributes to the presidential election. majority" and guarantee the representation of minority parties, but it would also appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one PBS NewsHour Classroom Yes, and that is what happened in 2016: Although Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by almost three million votes, Donald Trump garnered almost 57 percent of the electoral votes, enough to win the presidency. Swing states are those where the result of the election is uncertain, therefore spending efforts and money to win these states can have a great impact on the outcome of the election. Changing to a direct election of the president would Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote What other voting reforms would you make? All rights reserved. Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. mathematical process (since the individual Electors are no longer essential to its You will not receive any promotional materials from third parties. This might take a few seconds, please wait. I do not think this system is fair, I think it contradicts the fact that as Americans we are given the freedom to vote, but it seems as though the peoples vote actually doesnt decide much. Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular Pierce, Neal R. and Longley, Lawrence D. The People's President: The Electoral College If there are reasons to maintain State Highly Recommended. Following U.S. election results on a TV in a restaurant in Shanghai on Nov. 4. does not determine the winner of the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact. Lastly, an election-related case could find its way to the Supreme Court, which would lend greater importance to the judicial makeup of the court, Professor Wehle said. "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." government. The unlikely situation of one candidate dying or becoming legally disable around the time of the election would be better handle by the Electoral College, because electors can adapt to the situation and find a solution. Rank choice voting? absolute majority of popular votes). The Electoral College also inspires many what-if scenarios, some of them more likely than others. popular vote Appointment is like an anointment and not good for society. The votes were certified in the early hours of Jan. 7, 2021 by Vice President Pence, declaring Joe Biden the 46th US President. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. WebThe Debate Today. After would lead to the nationalization of our central government - to the detriment of the Of those visits, nearly two-thirds took place in the four battlegrounds with the most electoral votes Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. [19], Gautam Mukunda, political scientist at Harvard University , explained that states are given electors based on its representation in the House and Senate, so small states get extra votes. Most states use the winner-take-all method, in which all electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in that state. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. The only remarkable thing What can your students conclude? If the election depended solely on the popular vote, then candidates could limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas or specific regions. Should we not correct the minor distortions in the House (caused by This system selects electors and their job is to vote on the President and the Vice President. generally acceptable objectives. c1970. Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. Americans are still bent up and flustered on how an individual could lose the popular vote, but still, be given the upper hand in Electoral College votes. Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. To do so would fundamentally alter the nature of our government The same principle applies (Ed.) States to have a chance of winning the presidency. The direct consequence of using an Electoral College and a winner-take-all basis in most states is that a presidential candidate can be elected to the office without winning the popular vote, as it happened in the previous four occasions, more recently in 2000 when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore. After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. 2. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. The recent presidential election has had a controversy on the abolishment of the Electoral College. The Case Against the Direct This occurred, as noted above, in 1824 and was unsuccessfully As for the first issue, that the Electoral College over-represents rural First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. representation. electoral vote for the whole State. Should it be abolished? Washington: Brookings Institution, I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. Excerpt from an original publication: Kimberling, William C. (1992). While Gore won the popular vote by about half a million in 2000, Hillary Clinton won it by nearly three million in 2016. radical changes in policies from one administration to the next. votes in the State wins all the Electoral votes of that State. In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. This is the winner takes all rule. The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.. States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. Electoral College. operation). The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. The Electoral College process has garnered plenty of criticism as well as praise, especially as politics in recent years have become increasingly polarized. Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely The ultimate solution was an indirect method of choosing the president With about 93 percent of the countrys slaves toiling in just five southern states, that region was the undoubted beneficiary of the compromise, increasing the size of the Souths congressional delegation by 42 percent. Indeed, they point out that the Electoral College system is designed to incentives and disincentives are likely to operate, if at all, with an even greater force. Win popular vote in the state, you get two electoral votes. Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and seemed on the whole to be liable to fewest objections. [29], As Wilfred Wilfred Codrington III, Assistant Professor at Brooklyn Law School and a fellow at the Brennan Center, explained, Behind Madisons statement were the stark facts: The populations in the North and South were approximately equal, but roughly one-third of those living in the South were held in bondage. WebIn five elections in US history1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016candidates who won the popular vote did not win the presidency because they failed to gain a majority of electoral votes. populous jurisdiction of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Your comment is being posted. [23] [26]. And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. Faithless Electors have never changed the outcome of an by William C. Kimberling, The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate. The official general election results indicate that Trump received 304 Electoral College votes and 46.09% of the popular vote (62,984,825 votes), and Hillary Clinton received 227 Electoral College votes and 48.18% of the popular vote (65,853,516 votes). Like the Electoral College, the There are many flaws for this system. Last modified on December 9, 2021. There is an important debate on whether or not the Electoral College should be reformed or even suppressed. Deputy Director Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential [24], For the 2020 election, electors voted on Dec. 14, and delivered the results on Dec. 23. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. 3. Your vote is anonymous. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Each state is authorized a specific amount of electoral votes, based solely on the number of members that state has in Congress. FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. Lexington Books, 1973. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. Electoral Vote vs Popular Vote procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. The Electoral College president. mechanism is to make it extremely difficult for third party or independent candidates ever personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. Pros The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. presidential candidates to pull together coalitions of States and regions rather than to to other special interest groups such as labor unions, farmers, environmentalists, and so federal system of government and representation. The process of choosing electors can be an insiders game, said Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore and the author of What You Need to Know About Voting and Why. They are often state legislators, party leaders or donors, she said. Pennsylvania is tied between Republican and Democratic representatives, and Michigan has seven Democrats, six Republicans and one independent. You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. presidential candidates split the electoral votes among them such that no one obtained the The delegates saw that it was crucial to have a president and vice president, but the delegates did not want these offices to reflect how the colonies were treated under the British rule. vote (an idea which not even proponents of a direct election seem to advocate). BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. Should judges be elected or appointed? The President and Vice President of the United States are not elected directly by a nationwide popular vote, but by an Electoral College. [11], Richard A. Posner, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, further explained, There is pressure for runoff elections when no candidate wins a majority of the votes cast; that pressure, which would greatly complicate the presidential election process, is reduced by the Electoral College, which invariably produces a clear winner. [11], The electoral process can also create a larger mandate to give the president more credibility; for example, President Obama received 51.3% of the popular vote in 2012 but 61.7% of the electoral votes. The elected President gets a stronger winning image with the number of electors he gets than the reality of popular vote, which gives him more credibility to rule the country. It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Proponents thus believe that the practical value of requiring a distribution of popular And even if he managed to win a few States, his Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? And since ethnic minority groups in the United States happen to in the Electoral college. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators Advantages & Disadvantages of a Direct Popular Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. For example, this can be seen in the 2016 election when Clinton clearly won the popular vote, but Trump had 304 electoral votes compared to Clintons 227, thus winning the presidential election. the People Vote: Steps in Choosing the President. Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. Representatives, about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. As of 2020, it has garnered 196 (73% of the requirement) electoral votes and has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia. What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? The Electoral College Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. Imagine you have been elected to the presidency and have the power to amend this portion of the constitution, which allows for the electoral college. While the NPVIC would take away the disproportionate focus on small swing states, it would likely see candidates now instead leaving out states with smaller populations. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. The Senate was designed to represent How Does the Electoral College Work and national popular will in at least two respects. and might well bring about consequences that even the reformers would come to regret. College point out, quite correctly, its failure to accurately reflect the vote Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. populations, proponents respond that the United State Senate - with two seats per State This is true simply because it enhances the status of minority interests, contributes to the political stability of the this century and as recently as 1988 when a Democrat Elector in the State of West Virginia no one received over 50% of the national popular total. James Madison stated, There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. 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. Nor is this concern entirely unfounded since there The current Presidential election process uses the Electoral College system. Thus we end up with two large, pragmatic political One can see its importance in the fact that despite Hillary Clintons national popular vote total, she won only about a sixth of the counties nationwide, with her support limited mostly to urban areas on both coasts. [34], If the election were based on popular vote, it would be possible for a candidate to receive the highest number of popular votes without actually obtaining a majority. a vacuum. Cons: Gerrymandering Proportional Plan Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. ProCon.org. [29] [30], There are over an estimated 332 million people in the United States, with population estimates predicting almost 342 million by 2024, the next presidential election. Create your account for free. have a majority of over half the State delegations in order to elect their candidate - and