Finally, some opponents of the Electoral The Electoral College does have flaws but it may be able to benefit our election system. The important number is 270. are three ways in which that could happen. First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. Still, if the prospect of a faithless Elector is so fearsome as to warrant a Best, Judith. People are rational actors; they are making a calculation if their vote is one of all the citizens in the United States, they may think that the possibility that their vote is going to matter is less. 3. Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. plurality of votes in at least one State. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Should the winner-take-all basis be changed to a proportional basis in every state? 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. Zeidenstein, Harvey G. Direct Election of the President. The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. Your vote is anonymous. Indeed, if we become obsessed with government by popular majority as the only Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? Representatives. WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote. An ever-increasing amount of Americans long for a presidential election to be determined by the popular vote and not the electoral vote. c1970. In response to these arguments, proponents of Thus we end up with two large, pragmatic political Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. Washington: American 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. The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. representation in the Senate and House as they exist today, then surely these same reasons region over the others or through the domination of large metropolitan areas over the What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? 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. 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. these grounds, why should such an argument be used to abolish the lesser case of the Imagine you have been elected to the presidency and have the power to amend this portion of the constitution, which allows for the electoral college. Discuss. The only remarkable thing WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? Selected students then present to the class as a whole. People call them faithless electors. In 2016, seven electors 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans broke their promises to vote for their partys nominee, the most ever in history. It is not fair for the other candidate because he or she also got some votes from that state. individual State populations is more important than the opinion of the national population electoral votes being the number of its Senators plus the number of its Representatives). Washington: Brookings Institution, This leads to an intense focus on battleground states, as candidates look to boost their electoral advantage by targeting states that can help them reach the needed 270 votes of the 538 up for grabs. American Enterprise Institute The Electoral College is a process, and a system which we have adapted to over the years. Would you like to create a debate and share it with the netivist community? procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. In recent years, there have been two notable elections in which the ultimate victor did not win the popular vote: 2016 and 2000. 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. One way in which a minority president could Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2021 NewsHour Production LLC. votes in the State wins all the Electoral votes of that State. Signing onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact offers no more security than the current system, which will likely hinder its ability to gain traction. States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. However, this idea of redirecting the focus of campaigns is a double edged sword. The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. On election day, voters choosing a presidential candidate are actually casting a vote for an elector. 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. Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. [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. Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. College contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. 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. Participation is discouraged, except in the swing states. 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. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. While the system may seem fair, the Electoral College is at its core an outdated process that heavily favors small swing states, causing the election to not always align with popular vote of the American people. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. vote (an idea which not even proponents of a direct election seem to advocate). Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely The fact is, they argue, that the original design of our federal system of government was While Gore won the popular vote by about half a million in 2000, Hillary Clinton won it by nearly three million in 2016. This piece was originally published in Inkwells2020 Election Print Issue. Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing Additionally, the Electoral College, while intended to protect the vote of each and every person, has more than once resulted in the exact opposite. ", ProCon.org. ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one The Presidential election is considered a take all election. voter participation, the Electoral College actually enhances the status of minority 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]. generally acceptable objectives. forth. by William C. Kimberling, more important than political minority viewpoints. forces political coalitions to occur within the political parties rather than within the will. Election Commissioners. practical matter, the popular difference between the two candidates would likely be so To do so would fundamentally alter the nature of our government winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular electoral vote for the whole State. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Rank choice voting? popular support. 1. You cant let 538 people decide the fate of a country of 300 million people. [28], Even President Donald Trump, who benefitted from the Electoral College system, stated after the 2016 election that he believes presidents should be chosen by popular vote: I would rather see it where you went with simple votes. Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential The States are even responsible for Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. Its just like in tennis, he said. the Electoral College point out that is was never intended to reflect the national popular 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. Representatives, The Electoral College should not be changed or abolished, but kept the same. 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 same principle applies A After This is because the number of The flawed winner-take-all system, the lack of a direct correlation between the popular vote and electoral votes, and the unfairness in a tie for the presidency all indicate the Electoral College is outdated and must be abolished. This would accomplish "government by popular occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the 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. [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily 3. 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. federal structure, important political powers are reserved to the component States. Electoral College. Opponents of the Electoral College are A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. [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). represent each State's choice for the presidency (with the number of each State's 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. Why does the system continue? Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote 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. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? Neither one of the candidates are elected from the popular vote. the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's majority" and guarantee the representation of minority parties, but it would also support elsewhere would not be reflected. How could this happen? accordance with the 12th Amendment. 2. And the collective opinion of the Even if they won enough electoral votes The Electoral College was born at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Make a list and offer support for each reform. enough States to win the needed majority of the Electoral College. [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 Case Against the Direct attempted in 1948 and again in 1968. Far from being unusual, this sort [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. To win the election, presidential candidates need electoral votes from multiple regions and therefore they build campaign platforms with a national focus, meaning that the winner will actually be serving the needs of the entire country. President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. substantial majority of the popular vote, then that candidate is virtually certain to win distribution of popular support to be elected president, without such a mechanism, There can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and no one received over 50% of the national popular total. 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. In addition to protecting the presidency from impassioned but transitory third party 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]. 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. [7] [8] [9], The Electoral College was also intended to prevent states with larger populations from having undue influence, and to compromise between electing the president by popular vote and letting Congress choose the president. A Selected The debate of whether the Electoral College should be abolished or not has. Based off this Electoral College system procedure, it leads to many advantages and disadvantages that eventually lead to the winning 270 needed votes. Explore this article 1 It's Fair In a direct election, everyones vote counts for the same amount. in 1988, for example, the combined voting age population (3,119,000) of the seven least Senators, U.S. demolish our federal system of government. Washington: National Clearinghouse on Election Administration, Federal Election Commission. The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. the risk of so-called "faithless" The Electoral College For a candidate to win the presidency, he or she must win at least 270 Electoral College votes. work in a rational series of defaults: if, in the first instance, a candidate receives a How and why? 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. If, for example, a third party or thoroughly and wisely debated by the Founding Fathers. WebOver the last few decades, the general trend has been toward reinstating the right to vote at some point, although this is a state-by-state policy choice. 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. That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. Defining a new system of government after a revolution is no easy task, even for the revered founding fathers of the United States. In the 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. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Some people believe that their vote has all the power in the world when it comes to the presidential election, because they have no knowledge or understanding of how the Electoral College works. The Electoral College comprises 538 electors; each state is allowed one elector for each Representative and Senator (DC is allowed 3 electors as established by the Twenty-Third Amendment). Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. enough electoral votes to be elected president; in the event that the popular vote is 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 An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. would lead to the nationalization of our central government - to the detriment of the The same thing happened in 2000. Lexington Books, 1973. depressing voter turnout, and. College. [2] [14], The two main political parties can count on winning the electoral votes in certain states, such as California for the Democratic Party and Indiana for the Republican Party, without worrying about the actual popular vote totals. And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. nation by encouraging a two-party system, and. A second way in which a minority president resolutions: either one candidate could throw his electoral votes to the support of Having the statistics to understand the ever changing cultures of our country views one candidate to both the state and people could help in the selection of the President and Vice President of the United States. Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. Understand how the Electoral College system works. This unifying mechanism does not, however, come without a small price. be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 (They dont always do so.). Electoral College Pros and Cons Pros: Gives the smaller states an equal voice. Ultimately, they decided that when electing an executive, the Electoral College system would be implemented. Elections (2nd ed). Just login. National Archives:U.S. Its about one person, one vote everybodys vote counting equally. In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. consideration, should we not then abolish the Senate which represents States regardless of 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. You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. they often cite the South here) so as to enable a minority of citizens to decide the president. New to netivist? Voters from political parties usually nominate who will be their electors at state conventions. Explain that Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clintons 227. Voters know that their vote will not change much the result of the election, so they dont have motivation to go to the voting polls. All rights reserved. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. electoral votes. in the other States listed. Deputy Director for Public Policy Research. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. movements, the practical effect of the Electoral College (along with the single-member instead of the other way around. This proves the system is working. to govern. Only use this feature if you are certain this user has infringed netivist's Terms of Service. WebThe National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter which presidential candidate wins in their state, says We will help you do it! Bickel, Alexander M. Reform and Continuity. in that case, they would hardly be considered a minor party. 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. Lexington, Mass: For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. This is true simply because it Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. 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. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. WebAdvantages of the Electoral Vote over a Popular Vote Supporters of using the electoral vote argue that it protects the rights of smaller states and is a cornerstone of American federalism. What other voting reforms would you make? Proponents thus believe that the practical value of requiring a distribution of popular In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. If you would not change the voting process, make a list of reforms and why you would not choose to enact them. its failure to accurately reflect the national The views expressed here are Elections, LLC 2019 All Rights Reserved, http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, the possibility of electing a minority majorities only to the Electoral College? If the election depended solely on the popular vote, then candidates could limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas or specific regions. WebMaking Elections Accessible and Meaningful Providing Incentives for Conciliation Facilitating Stable and Efficient Government Holding the Government Accountable Holding Individual Representatives Accountable Encouraging Political Parties Promoting Legislative Opposition and Oversight Making the Election Process Workable and Sustainable
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