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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 1. 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. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. What would happen during a switch to the popular vote would be unknown. 2. A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. 5. 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. 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. (LogOut/ The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. on WordPress.com. However, many people believe that a direct popular election is more democratic and fair than the Electoral College. And unlike direct elections, either would provide an incentive for grass-roots activity, coalition building and enhanced citizen participation. 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. A simple change in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could fix the flaw and still provide the benefits of a popular election. Part of HuffPost Politics. A faithless elector in the United States is someone who casts an electoral ballot for someone other than the individuals to whom they are pledged. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. what connection type is known as "always on"? 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 . 2015. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it . It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. Under the electoral college system (and other voting systems not based on popular voting), it only takes one extra vote more than the other candidate to create the needed results for the election. In addition, the bill has been unanimously approved at the committee level in the states of Georgia and Missouri, controlling a combined 27 electoral votes. The popular vote eliminates this issue too. The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. Their answer is simple: one in which every citizen's vote is equal to every other citizen's vote and one in which the winner of the presidential popular vote, no matter how small his or her percentage is of those who voted, would be elected. 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. Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. A candidate may not have to concentrate anymore, but they may have to move their attention to states such as Texas, New York, California, and Alaska. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. 4. 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? Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The states that join the NPV Compact will not be able to certify their Electoral College Votes until all 50 states and DC certify their state popular votes and any mandated/requested recounts since the Compact state ECVs are dependent on the winner of the national popular vote and not just their own state popular votes. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). 41 States (with 80% of U.S. population) will be Ignored in the 2024 Presidential Election. Once effective, states could withdraw from the compact at any time except during the six-month window between July 20 of an election year and Inauguration Day (January 20). The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their electoral votes to whichever presidential ticket wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. 9. Under the plan, Michigan's 15 Electoral . 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 the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. The NPVIC is an agreement among states designed to guarantee election of the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. NPV is grounded in two powers delegated to states by the Constitution: the power to design rules for awarding their electoral votes and the power to enter into interstate On average, studies show that falls in line with historical averages showing around 60 percent of eligible voters casting a vote in presidential election years. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. 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. A Critique of the National Popular Vote October 13, 2008 Policy Analysis No. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. That structure makes it easier for extremist views to find official representation. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800
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. Maryland and New Jersey passed this bill in 2007, Hawaii and Illinois in 2008, Washington in 2009, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia in 2010, California and Vermont in 2011, Rhode Island in 2013, New York in 2014 and Connecticut in 2018. And in all states but Maine and Nebraska, the candidate who receives the most votes in that state is awarded all of its electoral votes, whether the split is 51% to 49% or 99% to 1%. But don't forget, Bush won the popular vote four years later by three million votes. 6. 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. Second, some believe itll intensify election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout (Richards). For under its plan, the next time the U.S. has very close national vote, a recount would not be of six million votes in one state but of more than 130 million votes in all states and the District of Columbia, all with their own rules for conducting a recount. Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. 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. Under the electoral college system, if a state consistently pulls as leaning to one party, someone who supports the other party may not vote because they feel like there isnt a need to do so. 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. 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. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. As a result, the percentage of popular votes secured by Donald Trump was just 46.4% in comparison with Hilary Clinton, who secured 48.5% of the votes. The Constitution specifically leaves details like how the electoral votes are cast up to the states. 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. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. 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 . The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. But if some non-member Among the others: By its very size and scope, a national direct election will lead to nothing more than a national media campaign, which would propel the parties' media consultants to inflict upon the entire nation what has been heretofore limited to the so-called battleground states: an ever-escalating, distorted arms race of tit-for-tat unanswerable attack advertising polluting the airwaves, denigrating every candidate and eroding citizen faith in their leaders and the political process as a whole. Bosque de Palabras Steve Sisolak vetoed it. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. When the Constitution was set in place in 1789, the U.S. elected its first president. 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). Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). If you need to flag this entry as abusive. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. There would be fewer opportunities to illegally alter the results of an election. The winner-take-all rule is not required by the Constitution and was actually used by only three states in the nation's first presidential election in 1789. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. The National Popular Vote bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes a majority of the current 538 electoral votes. Today, many electors are bound to vote according to their states' popular vote results, and those who aren't almost always do. The National Bonus Plan was proposed by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. To date, the bill has passed at least one legislative chamber in 9 states possessing 82 combined electoral votes: AR, AZ, ME, MI, MN, NC, NV, OK, and OR. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. As of July 2020, a National Popular Vote bill has been signed into law in 16 states controlling a total of 196 electoral votes, including 4 small states, 8 medium-sized states, 3 big states (California, Illinois, and New York), and the District of Columbia. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election Longley, Robert. The last amendment, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, was ratified nearly 200 years after it was originally proposed. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. "The National Popular Vote Plan." Definition and Examples, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. 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. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. The years-old effort is slowly making its way through state legislatures in hopes of changing the way By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. List of the Cons of Using the Popular Vote 1. State Question 820 lays out a statutory framework for a recreational industry that would begin about 90 days after election results are certified. It is perhaps the most simplistic form of an election. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. Or the opposite could be true. 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. Yes. The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. It could encourage voter turnout. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. National Popular Vote will create a single member district (all 50 states and D.C.), where the candidate with the most votes wins and . The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 8. 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. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. (See: Electoral Votes by State). It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Security would be improved across the country. 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. 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. Definition and Examples, How Political Party Convention Delegates are Chosen, What Is a Caucus? It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. Explains kimberling, william c., and dave leip's . The itineraries of presidential candidates in battleground states (and their allocation of other campaign resources) demonstrate what every gubernatorial or senatorial candidate in every state already knows namely that when every vote matters, the campaign must be run in every part of the state. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. N.p., n.d. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. The plan would not get rid of the Electoral College. National Popular Vote is a constitutional and practical way to implement nationwide popular election of the President a goal traditionally supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. Lincoln Chafee (D) made his state the latest to sign on. Just another site cons of the national popular vote plan . 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. Evidence as to how a nationwide presidential campaign would be run can be found by examining the way presidential candidates currently campaign inside battleground states. Web. The Congressional District method would allocate electoral votes based on the winner of each congressional district. The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. In theory that could happen every four years. sale of united methodist church property. 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. As a result, an agreement between a group of states to cast all of their electoral votes in a similar manner, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan passes constitutional muster. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. If enacted by enough states, the National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. The amendment requires that any change to the rate of compensation for members of Congress can only take effect after a subsequent election in the House of Representatives. A shift of a relative handful of votes in one or two states would have elected the second-place candidate in six of the last 12 presidential elections. Because its so hard to get an amendment to the Constitution passed that means that once it becomes law it will probably remain so for a long time because the bar to change it back is so high. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . It gives more voting power to individual voters in smaller states. This is a situation that has caused controversy in the election years of of 1800, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016 when the elected president won the Electoral College and the presidency but did not win the popular vote. 3. 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. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. 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. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . Privacy Policy. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me 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. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. 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. It would eliminate superfluous votes. There are pros and cons to both systems. Cons of Electoral College. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. Where the National Popular Vote Plan Stands. After the process, the President of the Senate reveals who has officially been voted in as President and Vice President of the United States. Because a direct election would be, by definition, national and resource allocation would be overwhelmingly dominated by paid television advertising, there would be little impetus for grass-roots activity. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. 5. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators "The National Popular Vote Plan." (LogOut/ Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. NPV supporters claim, accurately, that a direct election for president would reduce or eliminate the possibility that a fringe candidate (like a Ralph Nader or Ron Paul) winning five percent or less of the vote in a single state could serve to defeat a major party candidate from the same side of the political spectrum. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? Post author: Post published: June 29, 2022 Post category: Uncategorized Post comments: paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. National Popular Vote proponents argue that the United States has had four presidential elections in which the plurality winner of the popular vote was not chosen as president. Here is the entire text of the proposed "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." Tweet Email this More on The Electoral College: Honorable Steve Cohen When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. The election is held every four years on the first Tuesday in November and prior to election day, the two candidates endure state-level primaries, caucuses, debates, and conventions. For more information, please see our It understands that while the nation is one union, it is also an amalgam of varying experiences and perspectives arrived at via the settings and unique problems surrounding those who live in different places, and that these differences fall within the broad rubric of federalism. As of December 2020, the National Popular Vote bill has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, controlling 196 electoral votes: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA. In Maine, both houses of the legislature passed the bill in 2019, but it failed at the final enactment step. Image the country thinks it is going to elect the president by National Popular Vote and then changing back to using the old Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system just four months before an election. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. Using a popular vote system, candidates could campaign regionally, targeting major areas of support, to secure enough votes to win an election. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages.
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