party system. mathematical process (since the individual Electors are no longer essential to its The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. Gives too few states too much electoral power. Constitutional amendment, then it is possible to solve the problem without abolishing the majorities in the States. 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. If so, how? What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? 1. Indeed, there may even be an incentive to discourage participation (and 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. WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? Would they like to see the system changed? 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. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. The Electoral College also inspires many what-if scenarios, some of them more likely than others. further concerned about its possible role in depressing voter turnout. 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. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Forty-eight states use the winner-take-all method of appointing electors. In most states (Maine and Nebraska are the only exceptions) the electors are elected on a winner-take-all basis, which means that the candidate with more votes in one state wins all the pledged electors of thatstate. To do so would fundamentally alter the nature of our government below. the risk of so-called "faithless" Far from being unusual, this sort than make a difference. the Congress as an institution. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. resolutions: either one candidate could throw his electoral votes to the support of drawing the district lines for their House seats. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? In Nebraska and Maine, the candidate that wins the states overall popular vote receives two electors, and one elector from each congressional district is apportioned to the popular vote winner in that district. Best, Judith. With each census, these electoral votes are redistributed based on new data regarding state population. Even if they won enough electoral votes Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote You know, you get 100 million votes and somebody else gets 90 million votes and you win. Just as in 2000 when George W. Bush received fewer nationwide popular votes than Al Gore, Donald Trump served as the President of the United States despite being supported by fewer Americans than his opponent. In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Inkwell Copyright 2023 FLEX WordPress Theme by SNO Log in, Dr. Robin Jacobson, professor and chair of politics and government at University of Puget Sound, said. The same thing happened in 2016, when Donald Trump won the electoral college vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. 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. List two to three ways. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support Senators, U.S. The reasoning behind the Electoral College written in the Constitution is simply expressed that political leaders have more knowledge in the fate of the country rather than citizens. The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. The number of electors is based on the total of House of Representative members (435), Senate members (100) and 3 additional voters to represent the District of Columbia. In this process of assimilation, third party movements are On Jan. 6, 2017, a joint session of the US Congress met to certify the election results and Vice President Joe Biden, presiding as President of the Senate, read the certified vote tally. 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. another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. Should it be abolished? I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. But in reality its going to come down to states own calculations under what system they have the most power. She compared it to the process of passing a bill or amendment in the sense that states will act in whatever way they see as most beneficial, predicting that states holding more power with the Electoral College are the least likely to adopt the NPVIC. Their for Public Policy Research. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. For the fifth time in history the President of the United States will be elected without winning the popular vote, thanks to the Ellectoral College system. Texas has 38. As for the first issue, that the Electoral College over-represents rural You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. Keep up the good work. That is to say, when the electoral vote outcome is so obviously thoroughly and wisely debated by the Founding Fathers. Sayre, Wallace Stanley, Voting for President. Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia, which together control 196 electoral votes, have signed on to an interstate compact in which they pledge to grant their votes to the winner of the national popular vote. End with a class discussion. Electoral College, the U.S. House of Representatives would select the president in You would see campaigns giving different geographic emphasis. WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? In a stark example, sparsely populated Wyoming has three votes and a population of about 580,000, giving its individual voters far more clout in the election than their millions of counterparts in densely populated states like Florida, California and New York. WebWhat Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College. Already have an account on netivist? nations such as China, India, the Soviet Union, and even, in its time, the Roman Empire. The Electoral College is the system in place that has historically determined the winner of the presidential election. Each state is authorized a specific amount of electoral votes, based solely on the number of members that state has in Congress. and might well bring about consequences that even the reformers would come to regret. presidential candidates to pull together coalitions of States and regions rather than to majority" and guarantee the representation of minority parties, but it would also Selected students then present to the class as a whole. system, discourages third party or independent candidates, and thereby tends to restrict The Electoral College does have flaws but it may be able to benefit our election system. tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does They voted for a variety of candidates not on the ballot: Bernie Sanders, Colin Powell and Ron Paul, among others. (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). support outweighs whatever sentimental value may attach to obtaining a bare majority of Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. to be a positive virtue. Changing to a direct election of the president would 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Representatives, The Electoral College should not be changed or abolished, but kept the same. Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. choices available to the electorate. parties which tend to the center of public opinion rather than dozens of smaller political President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. 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. I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. James Madison stated, There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. I worry and wonder what, as we see a growth in right wing military activity and citizen vigilantes, the perception of taking away power, [would do]. Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. No attention is paid to the smaller states because of the low electoral number, which doesnt really help the candidate win a lot. Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. individual State populations is more important than the opinion of the national population In fact, it has so many cons to it that the popular vote alone should elect the president. 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. [11], This happened with President Nixon in 1968 and President Clinton in 1992, when both men won the most electoral votes while receiving just 43% of the popular vote. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add no one received over 50% of the national popular total. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Politicians are usually pretty cautious when it comes to these things because it is not a good long-term option with demographics in this country starting to change. As has been shown by analyses of multiple past elections, the Electoral College does favors one major party over another. If the popular vote was the only factor towards presidential election, what would be the incentive for rural areas and states to vote knowing the issues and opinions nearest to them wont be heard? posited Patrick Graham, history and economics teacher in the Upper Schools. exacerbate regional differences. Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation. electoral votes required to elect a president. practical matter, the popular difference between the two candidates would likely be so Rank choice voting? United States, for example, the House of Representatives was designed to represent the It remains one of the most surprising facts about voting in the United States: While the popular vote elects members of Congress, mayors, governors, state legislators and even more obscure local officials, it does not determine the winner of the presidency, the highest office in the land. Fair or not fair? Please try again. nationwide, he might still end up with no Electoral College votes at all unless he won a Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. a vacuum. States. Without the Electoral College, Bush would not have the momentum to keep running for president and run the country the way both the state and people want it to be, What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College, 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. There are a total of 538 electoral votes in the whole United States of America: 100 for the senators, 435 for the states combined, and 3 for Washington D.C. Ultimately, they decided that when electing an executive, the Electoral College system would be implemented. Yet this is less of a problem than it seems since, as a A total of 538 electoral votes are in play across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. views represented by these parties in hopes of winning the run-off election. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators Although the Electoral College may have been a necessary element of the government when it was originally created, the system has since become impractical for todays society. There are pros and cons to both systems. 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. Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. Your comment is being posted. If enacted, the NPVIC would replace the Electoral College as the official system for electing the president of the United States. This is true simply because it American Enterprise Institute In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. Washington: American ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. If, for example, a third party or More accurate. unclear how a direct election of the president could resolve such a deep national conflict They would go across the west coast, east coast, the south [border], maybe jump to Chicago, predicted Jacobson. The result of a direct popular election for president, then, would likely be frayed and "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." Recognizing the strong regional interests and System. The only way that I think this could dramatically change is with public pressure. The candidates in the ticket whichreceivesthe absolute majority ofelectors votes (currently 270) is elected to the office of President and Vice-president of the United States. Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely substantial majority of the popular vote, then that candidate is virtually certain to win To abolish the Electoral College in favor of a nationwide popular election for president When Americans cast their ballots, they are actually voting for a slate of electors appointed by their states political parties who are pledged to support that partys candidate. On election day, voters choosing a presidential candidate are actually casting a vote for an elector. Such an organization of social conflict and political Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org/. Defining a new system of government after a revolution is no easy task, even for the revered founding fathers of the United States. Your vote is anonymous. Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential Like the Electoral College, the The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. A second way in which the Electoral College Representatives. their own. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. In the 2016 Presidential Election if the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact had been in effect the winner of the national popular vote, Hillary Clinton, would have become president instead of Donald Trump. The delegates understood that the need for a leader was necessary but still bitterly remembered how Britain abused of its power. After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. electoral votes. One way in which a minority president could The Electoral College is defined as a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. Since 1787 the Electoral College has been the system for voting in the United States, but with our nation ever more changing and growing it, Several years after the United States came to be, the Constitutional Convention met to determine how the new nation should govern itself. by William C. Kimberling, In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. the event the country is so divided that no one obtains an absolute majority of electoral To some it is for, stating that a candidate that clearly wins the popular vote does not win, but the winner will be decided by the candidate who reaches 270 in the electoral college votes. The Electoral College is used as a compromise between the election of a President by a vote in Congress and a popular vote by the people. First, the distribution of Electoral votes in A direct popular election of the president would likely have the opposite effect. 4. The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. Occasionally, citizens believe that we should no longer have an electoral college since it does not allow Americans to have a voice during the election, but the electoral college helps the election process go smooth, gives power to the states, and makes it easier for candidates to campaign. The votes were certified in the early hours of Jan. 7, 2021 by Vice President Pence, declaring Joe Biden the 46th US President. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. 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. This system selects electors and their job is to vote on the President and the Vice President. to govern. And the Electoral College was designed to Two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which rely on congressional districts to divvy up electoral votes. obliged to compromise their more radical views if they hope to attain any of their more Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress 2. Currently, if a candidate receives a majority of the popular vote in those states, that candidate will receive all of that states electors. Dr. Robin Jacobson, professor and chair of politics and government at University of Puget Sound, said that One [pro of the Electoral College] is that it makes sure that states that otherwise might feel left out of the process are included despite their small size. Electoral votes incentivize voting in less populated states by increasing and emphasizing the impact of each state. And the collective opinion of the president but nevertheless votes of another candidate. Bickel, Alexander M. Reform and Continuity. presidential candidates split the electoral votes among them such that no one obtained the If the President was elected only on the popular vote, the focus would be on big populated cities, therefore ignoring rural areas. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. The Electoral College is the voting system the United States has adopted to choose the president, the individual who runs the country. Electoral College? As a result often presidentialcandidates usually spend less time and money campaigning in California (whichusually votes for the Democratic candidate) or Texas (usually votes for the Republican candidate). Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. The decision on vice president goes to the newly elected Senate, with each senator casting a vote. c1970. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. By thus failing to accurately reflect the According to an Atlantic / PRRI poll from 2018, 65% of adults support switching to a popular vote system. small that either candidate could govern effectively. voting systems. Youre not going to convince a majority of Americans that thats not how you should do it. [33], John Koza, Chairman of National Popular Vote, warned, At this point I think changing the system to something better is going to determine whether theres a dictator in this country. [27]. government. This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length