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. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/. 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. Candidates feel these states need a little bit more of their attention and apply pressure to supply these states with solutions to their problems in order to gain their vote. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. April 8, 2016 National popular vote far better than Electoral College system for choosing presidents, Stanford professors say. Using a popular vote system, candidates could campaign regionally, targeting major areas of support, to secure enough votes to win an election. National Popular Vote will create a single member district (all 50 states and D.C.), where the candidate with the most votes wins and . One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. As with other powers entrusted to the states, it is an application, not a circumvention, of the Constitution when the states utilize those powers as they see fit. 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 of the 2000 presidential election. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Many people may feel that any major change in how we elect the president should be in the Constitution and not in a legal loop hole even if its legal and technically constitutional. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. The National Bonus Plan was proposed by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. Longley, Robert. 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). It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. 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). Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. It could help to reduce partisanship. Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. 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. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. The National Popular Vote Bill is a bill for Americans interested in both preserving our Electoral College and reforming the shortcomings of our current "winner-take-all" system that awards all the electors of one state to the candidate who wins in that particular state and . 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." 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. 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. 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. The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. Under the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system votes in small states, like Wyoming or Delaware count double what votes in large states like California or Texas. The senators in the U.S. Senate make up two votes in addition to the votes that represent the number of its members in the U.S. House of Representatives (Archives). The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. The National Popular Vote Plan. The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). Candidates get one vote for every congressional district they win, and then two votes for winning the state-wide vote. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. cons of the national popular vote planchicago religious demographics. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. What would happen during a switch to the popular vote would be unknown. If the presidential election were switched to the popular vote, then it would only take about 35% of the vote for a candidate to win. But NPV could force our electors to disregard the wishes of the . It happened once, in 1876. Imperfect, because its modern-day blessings -- enhancing coalition building, pluralism, federalism and grass-roots participation -- are enjoyed only by a minority of states (in any given presidential election 18 or 20), where the battle for electoral votes is competitive for both major parties. 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. Although it is sometimes conjectured that a national popular election would focus only on big cities, it is clear that this would not be the case. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. That nightmare may seem like a pleasant dream if NPV has its way. 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. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Here are six reasons why legislators should reject this attempt to jettison our electoral system: 1. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 4. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. The bill has crossed paths with 36 legislative chambers and has been sponsored or voted for by 3,112 state legislators (National Popular Vote). 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. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. 1. 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. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. 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. 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. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). Hillary Clinton, but won the electoral vote to become the 45thPresident of the United States. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. Instead of a direct popular election, the United States has the Electoral College, a group of electors who represent each state's votes. 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 . 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. Yes. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. N.p., n.d. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 2. Definition and Examples. June 7, 2022 . 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. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. But the national popular vote plan doesn't require a . It would eliminate superfluous 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. Change). In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. 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. 5. The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election (Archives). 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. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? Unless the national popular vote was very close, or there were all lot of recounts outstanding, the Compact states in most cases would effectively know what the outcome would be and could be prepared to certify their state votes very quickly to make the Electoral College meeting date deadline. 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. It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. After all, the Electoral College makes it possible that a candidate who wins the majority of the votes could still lose the election. pros and cons." dave leip's atlas of u.s. presidential elections. But sometime in the future the popular vote will change back and lean Republican. 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. 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. That created a voter value of 2.85. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. Bosque de Palabras ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The popular vote eliminates this issue too. 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. 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. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. In fact, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which has now been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, totaling 196 electoral votes, is an actionable and realistic . In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. To become president of the United States of America, you must be at least 35 years old, have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years and be a natural-born citizen. To determine the National Popular Vote winner, state election officials simply would tally the nationwide vote for president based on each states official results. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. If the election is based off a popular vote, each of these areas would need to be closely examined in real-time, which would enhance the security of each vote that is cast. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. Start and finish your paper with ease. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. 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. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. (2021, Jun 14). Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. These are the states that may go to either major party candidate in the election. It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. 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. ThoughtCo. If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. This has occurred in only four of the 58 presidential . However that presumably rare exception happened in the 2000 election when Florida could not complete their statewide recount in time for the Electoral College deadline and the Supreme Court forced Florida to use their first vote count without a statewide recount. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. 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. List of the Cons of Using the Popular Vote 1. Constitutional Amendment to Guarantee the Right to Vote for All U.S. Citizens. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. 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. 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. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. The alternative view of democracy is more complex; it is one that includes but is not limited to the pursuit of equality. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. And that would undermine the legitimacy of the NPV among those people. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. 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. It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. 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. Activating the National Popular Vote compact would reshape our . In 2004, for example, candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry campaigned heavily in states such as Nevada while ignoring political issues in New York, a state that Kerry was sure to win, according to the University of the Pacific. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. 6. Under the plan, Michigan's 15 Electoral . Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. 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? This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. evergreen funeral home live stream. 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. It is also true that no president since 1824 has received the votes of a majority of the eligible voters and 18 presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John. 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. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. 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. 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. All samples were added by students. That's almost 1.5 billion . As of December 2020, the bill has been fully adopted predominately by Democratic-majority blue states which delivered the 14 largest vote shares for Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. 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 But we're closer to that than you might think 15 states and the District of Columbia have already signed on, providing 196 electoral votes of the needed 270. 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. . 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. Voters in spectator states, including five of the nations 10 most populous states (California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey), and 12 of the 13 least populous states (all but New Hampshire) have no real incentive to go to the polls as their votes do not affect the outcome of the election. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) And that would lead to chaos in how political parties campaign for president and could also undermine the legitimacy of the process. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. 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. But the much greater danger to American democracy is that direct elections may make it possible for a president to be elected by no more than 30 percent of the vote, regardless of his or her suitability for office, so long as there is sufficient money and a clever media advisor behind the effort. 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. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. 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. 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.. and our Watch out! 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. The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. How about receiving a customized one? 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. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Or the opposite could be true. For the 7 presidential elections between 1992-2016, the Republican candidate has won the Electoral college 3 times. mike matarazzo last photo. 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.