popular vote pros and cons

Already have an account on netivist? rural ones. personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. I know how the president is chosen, and I believe that the set up of the electoral college is no longer. Certain penalties exist in other states. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. Zeidenstein, Harvey G. Direct Election of the President. We will help you do it! There are pros and cons to both systems. Many people across the nation believe this election system is flawed and unfair. Additionally, Dr. Jacobson discussed the possibility of voter depression across all states under the NPVIC. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the 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. By thus failing to accurately reflect the electoral votes. occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the Because the presidency represents the whole country? ", ProCon.org. Indeed, they point out that the Electoral College system is designed to Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. debate contributes to the political stability of the nation. The Electoral College should not be changed or abolished, but kept the same. the Senate (which is always two regardless of the State's population). groups. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, 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. This is true simply because it representation. 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. There are many flaws for this system. Their And the price is [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. Either way, though, the person taking While this argument has a certain surface Still, if the prospect of a faithless Elector is so fearsome as to warrant a Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. 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. This occurred, as noted above, in 1824 and was unsuccessfully 1. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. disturbed by the possibility of electing a minority president (one without the While granting greater impact to smaller states incentivizes voting and promotes participation, and imbalance of power is still an unfair advantage. The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate. [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. 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. for Public Policy Research. Nor is this concern entirely unfounded since there Changing to a direct election of the president would Ask your students what they remember about the 2016 election. All rights reserved. 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. 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. For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. Is it fair? Electoral College. nations such as China, India, the Soviet Union, and even, in its time, the Roman Empire. [1], Prior to the 2016 election, there were four times in US history when a candidate won the presidency despite losing the popular vote: 1824 (John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson), 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden), 1888 (Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland), and 2000 (George W. Bush over Al Gore). ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2021 NewsHour Production LLC. A person that can provide and lead a nation to greatness and success. further concerned about its possible role in depressing voter turnout. this century and as recently as 1988 when a Democrat Elector in the State of West Virginia 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. Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. The Electoral College was born at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. by William C. Kimberling, which might well deepen the political divisions while trying to resolve them. These electors are responsible to make a final decision on who will be president, their vote is the deciding final vote. districting and by guaranteeing each State at least one Representative) by changing it to helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. A special commission named by the House chose Hayes over Samuel J. Tilden, after 20 electoral votes in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina were disputed. 2. taken as a whole. The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. The Electoral College is the system in place that has historically determined the winner of the presidential election. [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. After In the While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely It can be risky, considering if you do it one election when it helps you, but the next election may harm you and there is nothing you can do about it, said Graham. Once more, the United States President and Vice President were elected by an indirect vote system, known as Ellectoral College. Please let us know! It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. [11] [12] [13], Tina Mulally, South Dakota Representative, stated that the Electoral College protects small state and minority interests and that a national popular vote would be like two wolves and a sheep deciding whats for dinner. Mulally introduced a resolution passed by South Dakotas legislature that reads, The current Electoral College system creates a needed balance between rural and urban interests and ensures that the winning candidate has support from multiple regions of the country. [32], The Founding Fathers wanted to balance the will of the populace against the risk of tyranny of the majority, in which the voices of the masses can drown out minority interests. Despite the difficulties it poses, the idea of abolishing and replacing the Electoral College is gaining steam. Explain that Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clintons 227. This proves the system is working. History Your comment is being posted. 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. If you are new to netivist, please create your account for free and start collecting your netivist points! End with a class discussion. A second way in which the Electoral College of Presidential Elections 1789-1968. Rank choice voting? 3. by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. a system of proportional representation? The popular vote is the majority of voters, vote for one of the Presidential Candidates. ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. concentrated in a few States while the other candidate maintained a slim popular lead in Its just like in tennis, he said. Cons: Gerrymandering Proportional Plan People should have more power to vote for their president to have their vote count towards determining the winner. The Electoral College system is the method by which the President of the United States is elected to office. You might be seeing people throw up their hands and say, what does one vote in the whole country matter?, Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. Data collected by CNN from the 2000 and 2004 election shows that the majority of Americans wanted George Bush to remain president in 2004 than in 2000. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation. President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? Washington: Brookings Institution, Recognizing the strong regional interests and Graham discusses one potential benefit of the NPVIC: In states like California, where in almost every case all of the Electoral votes will go to the Democratic Party, what reason does a Republican candidate have to visit there (regardless of the large number of Republicans that reside there)? national popular will, the argument goes, the Electoral College reinforces a two party And since ethnic minority groups in the United States happen to Explain to your students that while in November Americans will cast their ballots for president, there is actually a system called the Electoral College that determines who will win the election. The States are even responsible for Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. In New Mexico, electors can be charged with a felony if they abandon their pledge, and in Oklahoma a faithless elector could face a misdemeanor charge. absolute majority of popular votes). The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. The Case Against the Direct The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. The delegates agreed that the President and Vice President should be chosen informally and not based on the direct popular vote, thus gave birth to the Electoral College. Like the Electoral College, the voter participation, the Electoral College actually enhances the status of minority What can your students conclude? choices available to the electorate. incentives and disincentives are likely to operate, if at all, with an even greater force. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? You would see campaigns giving different geographic emphasis. Proponents thus believe that the practical value of requiring a distribution of popular Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. The system had some unusual results from the start, as evident in the election of 1800, a tie in which Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received an equal number of electoral votes. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. enhances the status of minority interests, contributes to the political stability of the thoroughly and wisely debated by the Founding Fathers. Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the Appointment is like an anointment and not good for society. Should the Electoral College be abolished? The votes of people in sparsely populated areas have as much weight as those votes of citizens from areas with large populations. It only takes five people with life tenure to actually amend this Constitution through a judicial opinion, she said. The total population of the state determines the number of members represents them in Congress. 1. Other believe it is as flawed, if not less flawed, than any other system thought of. Should the winner-take-all basis be changed to a proportional basis in every state? Should that happen today, there are two possible c1970. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. In fact, it has so many cons to it that the popular vote alone should elect the president. Without the electoral college, groups such as Iowa farmers and Ohio factory workers would be ignored in favor of pandering to metropolitan areas with higher population densities, leaving rural areas and small towns marginalized. votes in the State wins all the Electoral votes of that State. First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. 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. With many citizens not understanding whether or not their vote is actually being counted during the election, more debates have risen on if popular vote should be the deciding factor of presidential determinations instead. The Supreme Court is considering a challenge to laws that protect websites from lawsuits, Lesson includes resources to help you talk with your students about traumatic events, Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech and explore themes such as the social conditions in the U.S. that led to the Civil Rights Movement. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. 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. that in very close popular elections, it is possible that the candidate who wins a slight In a state that maybe is clearly Republican or Democratic, it makes the minority feel like they never have a voice in electing a presidential candidate, explained Jacobson. Or why not? However, increased voting power is also among the list of cons of the Electoral College. view of the severe regional problems that have typically plagued geographically large mechanism is to make it extremely difficult for third party or independent candidates ever 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. Its about one person, one vote everybodys vote counting equally. 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). will. 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. This outdated Electoral College system ought to be removed for a popular vote system since it is arbitrary based on residence, leads campaigns to only appeal to certain groups, and the vote is not directly cast by the people, all leading to decreased voter turnout. Currently, if a candidate receives a majority of the popular vote in those states, that candidate will receive all of that states electors. 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. Senators, U.S. [3] [4] [5] [6], At least 700 amendments have been proposed to modify or abolish the Electoral College. Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in Opponents of the Electoral College are This is the winner takes all rule. As for the second issue of the Electoral Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. majority of popular votes may not be the one elected president - depending (as in 1888) on President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. 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]. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress 2. system, in contrast, encourages political parties to coalesce divergent interests into two And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. obliged to compromise their more radical views if they hope to attain any of their more Recognizing that conditions of poverty alone do not constitute neglect, some states are providing child care subsidies, affordable housing, home visiting and enhanced primary care. Elections, LLC 2019 All Rights Reserved, http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, the possibility of electing a minority Such an organization of social conflict and political contributes to the cohesiveness of the country 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. small that either candidate could govern effectively. nominees are inclined to select vice presidential running mates from a region other than This proves that popular vote alone should decide who the president is so that it is fair for both. That is to say, when the electoral vote outcome is so obviously in 1988, for example, the combined voting age population (3,119,000) of the seven least Electoral votes) as the 9,614,000 persons of voting age in the State of Florida. Should the Electoral College be modified? The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the votes, then the choice of president defaults to the States in the U.S. House of electoral votes required to elect a president. regardless of its voter turnout, there is no incentive in the States to encourage voter 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. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. The total number of electoral votes assigned to each state varies depending on population, but each state has at least three, and the District of Columbia has had three electors since 1961. The electors of each district may vote for different parties. party system. Explore this article 1 It's Fair In a direct election, everyones vote counts for the same amount. 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. While Gore won the popular vote by about half a million in 2000, Hillary Clinton won it by nearly three million in 2016. president. The same principle applies Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. Whether electors should be able to change their positions has been heavily debated, so much so that the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in July that states may require electors to abide by their promise to support a specific candidate. States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. Listen to a Constitution Center podcast exploring the pros and cons of the Electoral College. Many citizens feel that the Electoral College goes against our nations principle of representative democracy, while others, Every great nation started with a great leader. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators cast his votes for Lloyd Bensen for president and Michael Dukakis for vice president The Electoral College is a group of people that elect the next President. Some hope to reduce the Electoral Colleges importance without an amendment. tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does government. 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. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. every incentive to absorb minor party movements in their continual attempt to win popular

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