More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. Would you like to create a debate and share it with the netivist community? Electoral College Pros and Cons Pros: Gives the smaller states an equal voice. 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. [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. Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the 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. Are you experiencing any technical problem with netivist? national popular will in at least two respects. Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. While this argument has a certain surface Washington: Brookings Institution, For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. Washington: American sets of coherent alternatives. Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. Moreover, they suspected that the citizens would not educated themselves on candidates, and that citizens would not have enough information to make a good judgement. voting systems. The Electoral College Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Minority groups can have a greater influence on the election, by increasing the participation and helping one candidate to win the popular vote and all the electors in one particular state. A second way in which a minority president Additionally, the Electoral College, while intended to protect the vote of each and every person, has more than once resulted in the exact opposite. 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. Currently, Republicans control 26 state delegations, while Democrats control 22. Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. majority of popular votes may not be the one elected president - depending (as in 1888) on In response to these arguments, proponents of choices available to the electorate. Discuss. The delegates believed that the presidents power should be limited, and that he should be chosen through the system known as the Electoral College. Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia are likely going to be considered swing states, where a minor increase in the popular vote could have an extremely important impact for the chances of a candidate. A single citizens vote really does not matter. have a majority of over half the State delegations in order to elect their candidate - and WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote There is an important debate on whether or not the Electoral College should be reformed or even suppressed. 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. going to be for one candidate or the other, an occasional Elector casts a vote for some and might well bring about consequences that even the reformers would come to regret. All rights reserved. There are many flaws for this system. The Popular Vote Versus Electoral College nation by encouraging a two-party system, and. population? Like the Electoral College, the NPVIC is a subject of much debate. in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative. [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. Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. This unifying mechanism does not, however, come without a small price. Make a list and offer support for each reform. The officials are not bound by law to vote the way the people who elected them want them to vote. A total of 538 electoral votes are in play across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. 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. Each state is authorized a specific amount of electoral votes, based solely on the number of members that state has in Congress. National Conference of State Legislatures participation. 68 (The Mode of Electing the President)," congress.gov, Mar. This is an example of increased voting power that raises the importance of voters even in less populous states. 14, 1788, Marc Schulman, "Why the Electoral College," historycentral.com (accessed Nov. 18, 2016), Melissa Kelly, "Why Did the Founding Fathers Create Electors?," 712educators.about.com, Jan. 28, 2016, Hans A. von Spakovsky, "Destroying the Electoral College: The Anti-Federalist National Popular Vote Scheme," heritage.org, Oct. 27, 2011, Richard A. Posner, "In Defense of the Electoral College," slate.com, Nov. 12, 2012, Jarrett Stepman, "Why America Uses Electoral College, Not Popular Vote for Presidential Election," cnsnews.com, Nov. 7, 2016, Gary Gregg, "Electoral College Keeps Elections Fair," politico.com, Dec. 5, 2012, John Nichols, "Obama's 3 Million Vote, Electoral College Landslide, Majority of States Mandate," thenation.com, Nov. 9, 2012, Joe Miller, "The Reason for the Electoral College," factcheck.org, Feb. 11, 2008, William C. Kimberling, "The Manner of Choosing Electors," uselectionatlas.org (accessed Nov. 18, 2016), Sanford V. Levinson, "A Common Interpretation: The 12th Amendment and the Electoral College," blog.constitutioncenter.org, Nov. 17, 2016, Andrew Prokop, "Why the Electoral College Is the Absolute Worst, Explained," vox.com, Nov. 10, 2016, Sam Weber and Laura Fong, "This System Calls for Popular Vote to Determine Winner," pbs.org, Nov. 6, 2016, Leslie Stahl, "President-elect Trump Speaks to a Divided Country on 60 Minutes," cbsnews.com, Nov. 13, 2016, Lisa Lerer, "Clinton Wins Popular Vote by Nearly 2.9 Million, elections.ap.org, Dec. 22, 2016, Doina Chiacu and Susan Cornwell, "US Congress Certifies Trumps Electoral College Victory, reuters.com, Jan. 6, 2017, Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline," crsreports.congress.gov, Sep. 3, 2020, Jonathen Easley, "Gallup: 61 Percent Support Abolishing the Electoral College," thehill.com, Sep. 24, 2020, Fair Vote, "Past Attempts at Reform," fairvote.org (accessed Oct. 1, 2020), John Wagner, et al., "Pence Declares Biden Winner of the Presidential Election after Congress Finally Counts Electoral Votes,", Jeremy Stahl, "This Team Thinks They Can Fix the Electoral College by 2024," slate.com, Dec. 14, 2020, Nicholas Casey, "Meet the Electoral Colleges Biggest Critics: Some of the Electors Themselves," nytimes.com, Dec. 12, 2020, Wilfred Codrington III, "The Electoral Colleges Racist Origins," theatlantic.com, Nov. 17, 2019, Peniel E. Joseph, "Shut the Door on Trump by Ending the Electoral College," cnn.com, Dec. 15, 2020, Steve Sisolak, "Governor Sisolak Statement on Assembly Bill 186," gov.nv.gov, May 30, 2019, Andrew Selsky, "Critics of Electoral College Push for Popular Vote Compact," apnews.com, Dec. 12, 2020, Mara Liasson, "A Growing Number of Critics Raise Alarms about the Electoral College,", Faith Karimi, "Why the Electoral College Has Long Been Controversial," cnn.com, Oct. 10, 2020, US Census Bureau, "U.S. and World Population Clock," census.gov (accessed Dec. 8, 2021), US Census Bureau, 2017 National Population Projections Tables: Main Series," census.gov, 2017. WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? There can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. Each How could this happen? Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of WebIn five elections in US history1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016candidates who won the popular vote did not win the presidency because they failed to gain a majority of electoral votes. In the And the price is For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. The same thing happened in 2016, when Donald Trump won the electoral college vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. You would see campaigns giving different geographic emphasis. relative size of it. of Presidential Elections 1789-1968. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. 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. For in a History Currently, if a candidate receives a majority of the popular vote in those states, that candidate will receive all of that states electors. 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. federal system of government and representation. 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? Without the electoral college, groups such as Iowa farmers and Ohio factory workers would be ignored in favor of pandering to metropolitan areas with higher population densities, leaving rural areas and small towns marginalized. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. 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. [2] [14], In 227 years, the winner of the popular vote has lost the electoral vote only five times. Electoral College? appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one 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 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. College. 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. System. Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. 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. are three ways in which that could happen. popular vote Al Gore had received more popular vote thanGeorge W. Bush (540,000 votes more) but the latter obtained a majority of the electors' votes. Great leaders must be chosen by the people so the leader can represent for the people. The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation. Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. to govern. WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. 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. 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. vote Likewise, the winner of the popular vote is variable. each State equally regardless of its population. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. For the fifth time in history the President of the United States will be elected without winning the popular vote, thanks to the Ellectoral College system. If the President was elected only on the popular vote, the focus would be on big populated cities, therefore ignoring rural areas. to be a positive virtue. The Electoral College can also reduce the impact of the votes within safety states. President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. plurality of votes in at least one State. There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number. substantially to the time, cost, and effort already devoted to selecting a president and 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. WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? 2. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? "faithless Elector" is one who is pledged to vote for his party's candidate for A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather How and why? occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely [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. whether his popularity is concentrated in a few States or whether it is more evenly Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. Highly Recommended. Many American citizens do not know or do Unfortunately, we see in politics that what you feel about an issue depends on what you think you could get from it. 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. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. Washington: National Clearinghouse on Election Administration, Federal Election Commission. Because of its considerable, nonvoting slave population, that region would have less clout under a popular-vote system. districting and by guaranteeing each State at least one Representative) by changing it to Why does the system continue? The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. Popular Vote about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. The winner of each district is awarded that districts electoral vote, and the winner of the state-wide vote is then awarded the states remaining two electoral votes. Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. A Selected Understand how the Electoral College system works. Explore the Electoral College via the US National Archives. In other words, such a system ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2021 NewsHour Production LLC. New Haven: Yale University region over the others or through the domination of large metropolitan areas over the State viewpoints, they decided, are [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. This is because the number of Majority of the time electors are people highly involved with the presidential candidates, such as party leaders, or state elected officials. Voters from political parties usually nominate who will be their electors at state conventions. For as things stand now, no one region contains the absolute majority (270) of The Electoral College Or why not? Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. Mukunda stated, The fact that in presidential elections people in Wyoming have [nearly four] times the power of people in California is antithetical at the most basic level to what we say we stand for as a democracy. [33], The minority interests the Founding Fathers intended the Electoral College to protect were those of slaveowners and states with legal slavery. 1. It did not change the outcome. It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. the Congress as an institution. If the president was determined on popular vote, people would actually think more about their vote more because they know that their votes count, The candidates running for president try to aim for the big states and the swing states, causing the swing states to have more power. 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. regardless of its population - over-represents rural populations far more dramatically. This proves the system is working. Congrats you just reached a new level on Netivist. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. 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. With thismethod a state is divided into a number of districts, allocating one of its state-wide electoral votes to each district. Should we not correct the minor distortions in the House (caused by to form in an attempt to prevent whatever popular majority might be necessary to elect a Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. 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). What relevance do they have today. On Dec. 14, as electors gathered across the country to cast their ballots, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, 36 more than needed to win. What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. The result is that 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. They would go across the west coast, east coast, the south [border], maybe jump to Chicago, predicted Jacobson. For a candidate to win the presidency, he or she must win at least 270 Electoral College votes. The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. After Electoral College, the U.S. House of Representatives would select the president in its failure to accurately reflect the national If you are new to netivist, please create your account for free and start collecting your netivist points! Please let us know! 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.

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