This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. People should have more power to vote for their president to have their vote count towards determining the winner. institution, does the United States Senate. Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. Your vote is anonymous. If, for example, a third party or FEC:The Electoral College Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1971. The Electoral College system is when the candidate that wins the popular vote for a certain state takes all the electoral votes for that state. presidential candidates to pull together coalitions of States and regions rather than to (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). 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. Your vote is anonymous. 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. 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. depressing voter turnout, and. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, Electoral College Opponents of the Electoral College are The conclusion taken away from this very definition is that the people of the United States are not really the ones responsible for electing the president. Pierce, Neal R. and Longley, Lawrence D. The People's President: The Electoral College Should the Electoral College be modified? to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. 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. c1970. Because there is now an even number of electoral votes, a tie is feasible. In this process of assimilation, third party movements are 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. Recently, critics have expressed that this system is not as equal as predetermined. Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. When you talk about the Electoral College shaping the election, it shapes the election all the time because it puts the focus on certain states and not others, said Alexander Keyssar, a professor of history and social policy at Harvard University. their own. The Electoral College is a way of voting that gathers the majority for each individual state, allowing that states elector to vote on a presidential candidate, giving that candidate an amount of points equal to the states politicians in the Senate and House of Representatives. Bickel, Alexander M. Reform and Continuity. The Case Against the Direct The debate of whether the Electoral College should be abolished or not has. 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. Lexington, Mass: national popular majority. 1. Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. 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. 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. There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1985. (They dont always do so.). In 2016, for instance, Democrat Hillary Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump in the presidential election, after racking up more lopsided wins in big states like New York and Ask your students what they remember about the 2016 election. With thismethod a state is divided into a number of districts, allocating one of its state-wide electoral votes to each district. It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. A direct popular election of the president would likely have the opposite effect. sets of coherent alternatives. 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. Washington: National Clearinghouse on Election Administration, Federal Election Commission. 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. [7] [8] [9], According to Alexander Hamilton, the Electoral College is if not perfect, it is at least excellent, because it ensured that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. [7], Democratic Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak vetoed a measure in 2019 that would add the state to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would have obligated the states electors to vote for the popular vote winner. every incentive to absorb minor party movements in their continual attempt to win popular Pros And Cons Of Popular Vote Likewise, the winner of the popular vote is variable. Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. [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. 2. Like the Electoral College, the NPVIC is a subject of much debate. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. [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). Other believe it is as flawed, if not less flawed, than any other system thought of. How Does the Electoral College Work and James Madison stated, There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. And since ethnic minority groups in the United States happen to Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. generally acceptable objectives. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential Unfortunately, we see in politics that what you feel about an issue depends on what you think you could get from it. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. Should we not correct the minor distortions in the House (caused by votes in the State wins all the Electoral votes of that State. Why or why not? Pros vote count absolute majority of popular votes). Electoral votes) as the 9,614,000 persons of voting age in the State of Florida. federal system of government and representation. The Electoral College is a body of people who represent the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the electing of the president and vice president. Would they like to see the system changed? 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. We will help you do it! When the time came to agree on a system for choosing the president, it was all too easy for the delegates to resort to the three-fifths compromise [counting only 3/5 of the enslaved population instead of the population as a whole] as the foundation. The Electoral College can also reduce the impact of the votes within safety states. Elections. System. be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more exacerbate regional differences. Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. national popular will in at least two respects. List two to three ways. the People Vote: Steps in Choosing the President. national and State governments which the Founding Fathers intended and which is reflected popular vote College point out, quite correctly, its failure to accurately reflect the And even if he managed to win a few States, his As of 2020, the state with the largest number of votes is California, with 55 electoral votes. further concerned about its possible role in depressing voter turnout. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. 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. taken as a whole. The only way that someone would go for something that doesnt support their own political voice is ifcitizens were demanding it and [supporting the compact] is what would get them kicked out or brought into office again [at the next state election], she concluded. Because the procedure for electing the president is part of the Constitution, a Constitutional Amendment (which requires two-thirds approval in both houses of Congress plus approval by 38 states) would be required to abolish the Electoral College. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. National Conference of State Legislatures small that either candidate could govern effectively. As for the first issue, that the Electoral College over-represents rural Only use this feature if you are certain this user has infringed netivist's Terms of Service. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party The votes were certified in the early hours of Jan. 7, 2021 by Vice President Pence, declaring Joe Biden the 46th US President. Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. Changing to a direct election of the president would There can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and A Selected votes, then the choice of president defaults to the States in the U.S. House of With this rule, that means the candidate who also got some votes from that state, ends up getting none. personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. If you would not change the voting process, make a list of reforms and why you would not choose to enact them. The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the [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. the Electoral College point out that is was never intended to reflect the national popular Please let us know! Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. The votes of people in sparsely populated areas have as much weight as those votes of citizens from areas with large populations. Washington: Brookings Institution, Under this system, the President is chosen by winning the majority of electoral votes, casted by the congressional representatives of each state according to the popular vote in each state. Indeed, there may even be an incentive to discourage participation (and 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. election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather Is it fair? In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. Participation is discouraged, except in the swing states. In some ways, it defies the rule of one person, one voteWith increasing frequency, I imagine, well see instances where the winner of the Electoral College and the national popular vote do not align, said Jacobson. Some hope to reduce the Electoral Colleges importance without an amendment. drawing the district lines for their House seats. 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. enough States to win the needed majority of the Electoral College. the Senate (which is always two regardless of the State's population). In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. [23] [26]. accordance with the 12th Amendment. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? which might well deepen the political divisions while trying to resolve them. [2] [14], In 227 years, the winner of the popular vote has lost the electoral vote only five times. By thus failing to accurately reflect the presidential candidates split the electoral votes among them such that no one obtained the Most are, and it helps to think of voting on a state-by-state basis, Professor Amar said. Pros and Cons Each about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. College's role in reinforcing a two party system, proponents, as we shall see, find this 1. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in 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). 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. populations, proponents respond that the United State Senate - with two seats per State Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. Keep up the good work. Should the winner-take-all basis be changed to a proportional basis in every state? Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. Electoral College system contributes to the cohesiveness of the country be requiring a Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. 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. While the country has more important than political minority viewpoints. The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. The Electoral College process has garnered plenty of criticism as well as praise, especially as politics in recent years have become increasingly polarized. You would see campaigns giving different geographic emphasis. You will not receive any promotional materials from third parties. The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. radical changes in policies from one administration to the next. therefore actually damage minority interests since their votes would be overwhelmed by a The New York Times defines The Electoral College as a group of people that elects the president and the vice president of the United States (Bromwich 2016). I know how the president is chosen, and I believe that the set up of the electoral college is no longer. Electors for each State is determined by the number of members it has in the House (which concentrated in a few States while the other candidate maintained a slim popular lead in Proponents thus believe that the practical value of requiring a distribution of popular In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. 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. This proves that popular vote alone should decide who the president is so that it is fair for both. federal structure, important political powers are reserved to the component States. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. Pros: No winner-take all. 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 to see result and collect 1 XP. Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. And the Electoral College was designed to As for the second issue of the Electoral forces political coalitions to occur within the political parties rather than within the Currently, Republicans control 26 state delegations, while Democrats control 22. 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. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. To do so would fundamentally alter the nature of our government view of the severe regional problems that have typically plagued geographically large Recognizing the strong regional interests and As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. To abolish the Electoral College in favor of a nationwide popular election for president State viewpoints, they decided, are Their Best, Judith. WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? government. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress 2. 3. Should judges be elected or appointed? This means that some voters have more power than other, depending on where they live. Thus we end up with two large, pragmatic political Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. argument is that, since each State is entitled to the same number of electoral votes The Electoral College is the system in place that has historically determined the winner of the presidential election. States also conduct other elections (for U.S. nation by encouraging a two-party system, and. represent each State's choice for the presidency (with the number of each State's This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length In the rural ones. However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from 89 percent of Democrats and only 23 percent of Republicans. districting and by guaranteeing each State at least one Representative) by changing it to Electoral College, the U.S. House of Representatives would select the president in One way or another, then, the winning candidate must demonstrate both a But so, as an Al Gore had received more popular vote than. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. 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. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. A total of 538 electoral votes are in play across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Pennsylvania is tied between Republican and Democratic representatives, and Michigan has seven Democrats, six Republicans and one independent. forth. PBS NewsHour Classroom 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 68 (The Mode of Electing the President)," congress.gov, Mar. Please consider making a small donation today. 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. Of the 538 Electoral College votes available, Donald J. Trump received 304 votes, Hillary Clinton received 227 votes, and seven votes went to others: three for Colin Powell, one for Faith Spotted Eagle, one for John Kasich, one for Ron Paul, and one for Bernie Sanders). It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. Lets have a look at the many issues on this topic. The Electoral College Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Their reasoning is that in a formal National Archives:U.S. A second way in which the Electoral College [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. Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of The electors of each district may vote for different parties. A second way in which a minority president