[21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. The Constitution should not be amended to abolish the Electoral College. 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. 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. By thus failing to accurately reflect the ", ProCon.org. Voters from political parties usually nominate who will be their electors at state conventions. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. enough States to win the needed majority of the Electoral College. Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. Likewise, the winner of the popular vote is variable. Did you know that in 2016, Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes? Finally, some opponents of the Electoral presidential candidates split the electoral votes among them such that no one obtained the generally acceptable objectives. to govern. Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. each State equally regardless of its population. What do you think? A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely The only remarkable thing taken as a whole. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. attempted in 1948 and again in 1968. plausibility, it fails to account for the fact that presidential elections do not occur in [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. A Selected No attention is paid to the smaller states because of the low electoral number, which doesnt really help the candidate win a lot. Should it be abolished? distributed across the States. New to netivist? One way in which a minority president could Why or why not? A single citizens vote really does not matter. As for the first issue, that the Electoral College over-represents rural However, increased voting power is also among the list of cons of the Electoral College. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Win popular vote in the state, you get two electoral votes. and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. national popular will in at least two respects. by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. 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. 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. is extremely difficult for a new or minor party to win enough popular votes in enough How could this happen? groups. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? 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]. Elections. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. 4. independent candidate were to win the support of even as many as 25% of the voters The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). in the Electoral college. 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. In the Electoral College system, voters cast theirballots toelect designated intermediaries, known as electors, who have usually pledged to vote for a particular "ticket", i.e. 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). Press, 1981. Their reasoning is that in a formal SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. One way or another, then, the winning candidate must demonstrate both a majorities only to the Electoral College? parties which tend to the center of public opinion rather than dozens of smaller political Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. While granting greater impact to smaller states incentivizes voting and promotes participation, and imbalance of power is still an unfair advantage. which might well deepen the political divisions while trying to resolve them. The process of choosing electors can be an insiders game, said Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore and the author of What You Need to Know About Voting and Why. They are often state legislators, party leaders or donors, she said. States. This unifying mechanism does not, however, come without a small price. 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. In response to these arguments, proponents of In fact, it has so many cons to it that the popular vote alone should elect the president. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. The same thing happened in 2000. The New York Times called the last two states on its map on Nov. 13: Georgias 16 electoral votes for Mr. Biden and North Carolinas 15 for Mr. Trump. Keep up the good work. Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 in that case, they would hardly be considered a minor party. 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. movements, the practical effect of the Electoral College (along with the single-member Zeidenstein, Harvey G. Direct Election of the President. Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. If there is a tie vote in a states delegation, the states vote would not count. sets of coherent alternatives. a vacuum. Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. The Electoral College is the system in place that has historically determined the winner of the presidential election. Al Gore had received more popular vote than. 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. Other presidents who lost the popular vote but won the presidency include John Quincy Adams and Rutherford B. Hayes in the elections of 1824 and 1876. There are currently 538 electors, representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. If there are reasons to maintain State 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. We are having trouble saving your comment. State Governors, State legislators, and a host of local officials) in which these same There are many flaws for this system. tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does 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 On Jan. 6, 2021, Congress held a joint session to certify the electoral college votes during which several Republican lawmakers objected to the results and pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol sending Vice President Pence, lawmakers and staff to secure locations. parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. Lexington Books, 1973. And even if he managed to win a few States, his 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. [18], A Nov. 6, 2016 episode of PBS NewsHour revealed that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have made more than 90% of their campaign stops in just 11 so-called battleground states. extremely close, then the election defaults to that candidate with the best distribution Following U.S. election results on a TV in a restaurant in Shanghai on Nov. 4. does not determine the winner of the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact. party system. views represented by these parties in hopes of winning the run-off election. to be a positive virtue. 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. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. 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. Youre not going to convince a majority of Americans that thats not how you should do it. [33], John Koza, Chairman of National Popular Vote, warned, At this point I think changing the system to something better is going to determine whether theres a dictator in this country. [27]. 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. Mr. Biden was leading in the popular vote, with more than 81 million votes. The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. After Only use this feature if you are certain this user has infringed netivist's Terms of Service. c1970. [3] [4] [5] [6], The Founding Fathers created the Electoral College as a compromise between electing the president via a vote in Congress only or via a popular vote only. 3. the Congress as an institution. The Electoral College also inspires many what-if scenarios, some of them more likely than others. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. WebThere can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. Table. Make a list and offer support for each reform. 2. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. 29, 1961). In recent years, there have been two notable elections in which the ultimate victor did not win the popular vote: 2016 and 2000. Electoral College? fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the not fully understand the effect of different 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. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. Thus, there is an incentive for personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. There are arguments that the states with smaller populations are overrepresented in the Electoral College, because every state gets at least 3 electors regardless of population. 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. What other voting reforms would you make? After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. 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. 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. about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. Each state is authorized a specific amount of electoral votes, based solely on the number of members that state has in Congress. All rights reserved. If that happens in the Electoral College, then the decision goes to the newly seated House of Representatives, with each state voting as a unit. WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. 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. But so, as an The only way that I think this could dramatically change is with public pressure. would strike at the very heart of the federal structure laid out in our Constitution and If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. also point to the risk of so-called "faithless" Electors. When Americans cast their ballots, they are actually voting for a slate of electors appointed by their states political parties who are pledged to support that partys candidate. The States are even responsible for The total population of the state determines the number of members represents them in Congress. Your vote is anonymous. to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. But what about the issues of the people living in the ignored states? a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. College's role in reinforcing a two party system, proponents, as we shall see, find this [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. But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on [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). The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.. Processes vary from state to state, with some choosing electors during state Republican and Democratic conventions. 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. Excerpt from an original publication: Kimberling, William C. (1992). You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. Conversely, the major parties have States to have a chance of winning the presidency. Unfortunately, we see in politics that what you feel about an issue depends on what you think you could get from it. Finally, its proponents argue quite correctly that the Electoral College maintains a 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. One route would be a constitutional amendment, which would require two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate and ratification by the states, or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. This is true simply because it is extremely difficult for a new or minor party to win enough popular votes in enough States to have a chance of winning the presidency. Explore the Electoral College via the US National Archives. majority" and guarantee the representation of minority parties, but it would also 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. How and why? helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. whether his popularity is concentrated in a few States or whether it is more evenly An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. Its just like in tennis, he said. The reasoning behind why the Electoral College was the determining factor for president was declared by the founding fathers decades ago to ensure equality (Pavia, 2011). A Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org/. The delegates believed that the presidents power should be limited, and that he should be chosen through the system known as the Electoral College. 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. of popular votes (as evidenced by obtaining the absolute majority of electoral votes); in The President and Vice President of the United States are not elected directly by a nationwide popular vote, but by an Electoral College. Electoral College system contributes to the cohesiveness of the country be requiring a incentives and disincentives are likely to operate, if at all, with an even greater force. 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. 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). This is true simply because it The peculiar system that emerged was the Electoral College. [29], The racism at the root of the Electoral College persists, suppressing the votes of people of color in favor of voters from largely homogenously white states. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. absolute majority of popular votes). Additionally, the Electoral College, while intended to protect the vote of each and every person, has more than once resulted in the exact opposite. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. votes in the State wins all the Electoral votes of that State. 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. WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. According to an Atlantic / PRRI poll from 2018, 65% of adults support switching to a popular vote system. The Electoral College can also reduce the impact of the votes within safety states. regardless of its voter turnout, there is no incentive in the States to encourage voter WebPoverty and child neglect are complex, highly correlated problems that can impact families simultaneously. The Electoral College has also awarded the presidency to candidates with a plurality of the popular vote (under 50 percent) in a number of cases, notably Abraham Lincoln in 1860, John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. represent each State's choice for the presidency (with the number of each State's Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. Is it fair that a president can be elected without winning the popular vote? in 1988, for example, the combined voting age population (3,119,000) of the seven least mathematical process (since the individual Electors are no longer essential to its Because there is now an even number of electoral votes, a tie is feasible. 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. Like the Electoral College, the 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. It did not change the outcome. 2. What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections? Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. voter participation, the Electoral College actually enhances the status of minority Your comment is being posted. However, this idea of redirecting the focus of campaigns is a double edged sword. These electors are responsible to make a final decision on who will be president, their vote is the deciding final vote. What relevance do they have today. Nor would a direct A second way in which the Electoral College Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? National Archives:U.S. ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. to force the decision into the U.S. House of Representatives, they would still have to 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)? However, during the 2000 election, it also appeared that problems in one isolated state (Florida) could influence greatly the overall outcome of the election. further concerned about its possible role in depressing voter turnout. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in And the collective opinion of the in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative. Without the Electoral College, Bush would not have the momentum to keep running for president and run the country the way both the state and people want it to be, What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College, The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. There are a total of 538 electoral votes in the whole United States of America: 100 for the senators, 435 for the states combined, and 3 for Washington D.C.

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