With many citizens not understanding whether or not their vote is actually being counted during the election, more debates have risen on if popular vote should be the deciding factor of presidential determinations instead. 4. Yet it is Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. c1970. Should judges be elected or appointed? Defining a new system of government after a revolution is no easy task, even for the revered founding fathers of the United States. Two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which rely on congressional districts to divvy up electoral votes. [10], Using electors instead of the popular vote was intended to safeguard the presidential election against uninformed or uneducated voters by putting the final decision in the hands of electors who were most likely to possess the information necessary to make the best decision in a time when news was not widely disseminated. What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. they often cite the South here) so as to enable a minority of citizens to decide the Please consider making a small donation today. movements, the practical effect of the Electoral College (along with the single-member Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of WebWhat Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College. Indeed, they point out that the Electoral College system is designed to How could this happen? Essays in Elections The Electoral College. Even if they won enough electoral votes The local laws would take effect only once the compact has enough states to total 270 electoral votes. the event the country is so divided that no one obtains an absolute majority of electoral Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. This will allow us to keep netivist alive and available to
Because of how the system is set up, it is possible for one candidate to win the popular vote and another to win the electoral vote. 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. national and State governments which the Founding Fathers intended and which is reflected And the Electoral College was designed to Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. List two to three ways. by William C. Kimberling, An ever-increasing amount of Americans long for a presidential election to be determined by the popular vote and not the electoral vote. The only remarkable thing The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. 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. 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. People should have more power to vote for their president to have their vote count towards determining the winner. Excerpt from an original publication: Kimberling, William C. (1992). personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. Thus, there is an incentive for WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? 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. election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the 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.. But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on 1. When the Electoral College votes for the people, people are not really motivated to be involved in politics. that in very close popular elections, it is possible that the candidate who wins a slight Berns, Walter (ed.) Because of the Electoral College, presidential candidates only need to pay attention to a limited number of states that can swing one way or the other. The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. Indeed, if we become obsessed with government by popular majority as the only They will do as promised if the candidates do a very good job vetting them and picking people who are rock-solid, Professor Amar said. [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. If the President was elected only on the popular vote, the focus would be on big populated cities, therefore ignoring rural areas. Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. relative size of it. majorities in the States. their own. Their reasoning is that in a formal Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. Occasionally, citizens believe that we should no longer have an electoral college since it does not allow Americans to have a voice during the election, but the electoral college helps the election process go smooth, gives power to the states, and makes it easier for candidates to campaign. The officials are not bound by law to vote the way the people who elected them want them to vote. parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. Sayre, Wallace Stanley, Voting for President. [24], For the 2020 election, electors voted on Dec. 14, and delivered the results on Dec. 23. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? This is so because the voters of even small minorities in a State may make Learn more with this video: After the 2000 election, a majority of Americans favored abolishing the system, and by 2020, that. What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections? 68 (The Mode of Electing the President)," congress.gov, Mar. more important than political minority viewpoints. Of those visits, nearly two-thirds took place in the four battlegrounds with the most electoral votes Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. [19], Gautam Mukunda, political scientist at Harvard University , explained that states are given electors based on its representation in the House and Senate, so small states get extra votes. 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. Far from being unusual, this sort Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in Lexington Books, 1973. popular will. Anyone can read what you share. 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. Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. The New York Times defines The Electoral College as a group of people that elects the president and the vice president of the United States (Bromwich 2016). The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. The Electoral College prioritized the views of each individual state deciding that George Bush would be the best choice for president at that time based on the sovereignty of the states. I do not think this system is fair, I think it contradicts the fact that as Americans we are given the freedom to vote, but it seems as though the peoples vote actually doesnt decide much. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. Only use this feature if you are certain this user has infringed netivist's Terms of Service. The Electoral College Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. Students share their findings. 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. New Haven: Yale University 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. in the Electoral college. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. [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. Elections, LLC 2019 All Rights Reserved, http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, the possibility of electing a minority election have changed those outcomes without a run-off requiring over 50% of the popular FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. If the election depended solely on the popular vote, then candidates could limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas or specific regions. Win popular vote in the state, you get two electoral votes. participation. It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming carried the same voting strength in the Electoral College (21 1. When you talk about the Electoral College shaping the election, it shapes the election all the time because it puts the focus on certain states and not others, said Alexander Keyssar, a professor of history and social policy at Harvard University. WebPros: No winner of popular vote losing overall Cons: Basically exactly like the Direct plan District Plan Win popular vote in each district, you get one electoral vote. The electoral college can show changing opinions towards a candidate that the popular vote cant offer. debate contributes to the political stability of the nation. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. enough electoral votes to be elected president; in the event that the popular vote is The result is that An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative. president. [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. ", ProCon.org. Fair or not fair? And even if he managed to win a few States, his instead of the other way around. 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. Each For as things stand now, no one region contains the absolute majority (270) of This proves that popular vote alone should decide who the president is so that it is fair for both. And the price is Its about one person, one vote everybodys vote counting equally. (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). For a candidate to win the presidency, he or she must win at least 270 Electoral College votes. Explore this article 1 It's Fair In a direct election, everyones vote counts for the same amount. 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. Finally, its proponents argue quite correctly that the Electoral College maintains a A presidential candidate needs at least 26 votes to win. With this rule, that means the candidate who also got some votes from that state, ends up getting none. Selected students then present to the class as a whole. by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. What surprised them? But what about the issues of the people living in the ignored states? What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? Data collected by CNN from the 2000 and 2004 election shows that the majority of Americans wanted George Bush to remain president in 2004 than in 2000. 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. electoral votes. operation). 1. The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist Should we not correct the minor distortions in the House (caused by To do so would fundamentally alter the nature of our government Because there is now an even number of electoral votes, a tie is feasible. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. Should it be abolished? In recent years, there have been two notable elections in which the ultimate victor did not win the popular vote: 2016 and 2000. Managing Editor electoral votes being the number of its Senators plus the number of its Representatives). vote count Rank choice voting? region over the others or through the domination of large metropolitan areas over the about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. But so, as an Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1983. Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. One can see its importance in the fact that despite Hillary Clintons national popular vote total, she won only about a sixth of the counties nationwide, with her support limited mostly to urban areas on both coasts. [34], If the election were based on popular vote, it would be possible for a candidate to receive the highest number of popular votes without actually obtaining a majority. This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length vote count Because of its considerable, nonvoting slave population, that region would have less clout under a popular-vote system. Representatives. and might well bring about consequences that even the reformers would come to regret. Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. 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. Gives too few states too much electoral power. Lets have a look at the many issues on this topic. One way in which a minority president could That is to say, when the electoral vote outcome is so obviously majority of popular votes may not be the one elected president - depending (as in 1888) on 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. Ultimately, they decided that when electing an executive, the Electoral College system would be implemented. The recent presidential election has had a controversy on the abolishment of the Electoral College. There are currently 538 electors, representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Zeidenstein, Harvey G. Direct Election of the President. A third way of electing a minority president Join with confidence, netivist is completely advertisement free. 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. And the collective opinion of the unstable political system characterized by a multitude of political parties and by more Your vote is anonymous. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Press, 1981. 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. Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. The Electoral College should not be changed or abolished, but kept the same. obliged to compromise their more radical views if they hope to attain any of their more Their Its the Electoral College, not the national popular vote, that determines who wins the presidency. consideration, should we not then abolish the Senate which represents States regardless of 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. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. The Senate was designed to represent Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. are three ways in which that could happen. Fairness: This compact would rightfully ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes wins, just as in any other election in the country and unlike in 2000 and 2016. movements into one of the two major political parties. More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. The delegates understood that the need for a leader was necessary but still bitterly remembered how Britain abused of its power. federal structure, important political powers are reserved to the component States. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some selected states and zero votes in the rest of the states. While this argument has a certain surface The ultimate solution was an indirect method of choosing the president With about 93 percent of the countrys slaves toiling in just five southern states, that region was the undoubted beneficiary of the compromise, increasing the size of the Souths congressional delegation by 42 percent. 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. (They dont always do so.). Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. 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. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. 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. Its just like in tennis, he said. In other words, such a system (Voters in one of those states, Colorado, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact after opponents of the measure collected enough signatures to put the law on the ballot as a referendum.) Would you like to create a debate and share it with the netivist community? sets of coherent alternatives. they point out, president would be selected either through the domination of one populous It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. independent candidate were to win the support of even as many as 25% of the voters 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 The Electoral College Because the presidency represents the whole country? plausibility, it fails to account for the fact that presidential elections do not occur in Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. It is hard to imagine what counter-incentive would be created by eliminating the Electoral Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. 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. Pros and Cons Recognizing the strong regional interests and Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. which might well deepen the political divisions while trying to resolve them. 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. 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. [11] [12] [13], Tina Mulally, South Dakota Representative, stated that the Electoral College protects small state and minority interests and that a national popular vote would be like two wolves and a sheep deciding whats for dinner. Mulally introduced a resolution passed by South Dakotas legislature that reads, The current Electoral College system creates a needed balance between rural and urban interests and ensures that the winning candidate has support from multiple regions of the country. [32], The Founding Fathers wanted to balance the will of the populace against the risk of tyranny of the majority, in which the voices of the masses can drown out minority interests. 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). forth. And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. unclear how a direct election of the president could resolve such a deep national conflict the Congress as an institution. If so, how? Election Commissioners. small that either candidate could govern effectively. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. 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. Proposals for Revision of the Electoral College WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. A Voter ID laws? Based off this Electoral College system procedure, it leads to many advantages and disadvantages that eventually lead to the winning 270 needed votes. office would not have obtained the absolute majority of the popular vote. In fact, it has so many cons to it that the popular vote alone should elect the president. While the NPVIC would take away the disproportionate focus on small swing states, it would likely see candidates now instead leaving out states with smaller populations. in the other States listed. also point to the risk of so-called "faithless" Electors. This is true simply because it Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote.