cons of the national popular vote plan cons of the national popular vote plan

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. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. 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. That could lead to a very bad situation where, instead of the people voting in November to determine who the next president is, one or two states could effectively decide who becomes the next president simply by joining or withdrawing from the NPV Compact and changing the rules on how the votes for president are counted in the next 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). 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. 6. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. Around six-in-ten U.S. adults (63%) say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency, while 35% favor keeping the current Electoral College system, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 27-July 4, 2022. But the national popular vote plan doesn't require a . In theory that could happen every four years. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. Definition and Examples. The popular vote eliminates this issue too. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. All states could adopt the system that now exists in Maine and Nebraska, where all but two electors are chosen by congressional district, and the other two go to the statewide winner. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. Richard F. Potthoff looks critically at a proposed alternative way of electing the US president, the National Popular Vote plan, where all states in an interstate compact which cover 270 or more electoral votes would cast their electoral votes for the candidate who won the nationwide vote, no matter who wins their state. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. Published: Mar. 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. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. It sees a healthy and vibrant democracy needing the underpinnings of civil society that rests on the sustained and active engagement of the citizenry and promotes approaches that seek to maximize that involvement. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. Although many supporters of the electoral college argue that a two-party political system is more stable, some critics counter that having more than two parties would give Americans more choice. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. The last amendment, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, was ratified nearly 200 years after it was originally proposed. The principal flaw in the plan is its assumption that under the plan there will still be only two major parties competing for the presidency in 2020. . The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it . According to the Constitution, the Electoral College is a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens (National Archives). It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 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. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. If the election is based off a popular vote, each of these areas would need to be closely examined in real-time, which would enhance the security of each vote that is cast. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. 1. 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. "The National Popular Vote Plan." The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. 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. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. (2020, December 16). every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election 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. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. The National Popular Vote stems from the winner-take-all approach that validates the presidential candidate interactions with only 4 out of 50 dates during their campaign. Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. The pros and cons of the popular vote structure of an election allow for the majority to have their say in who they wish to serve. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. The United States does not have direct election of its president, yet most national, state and local offices are filled by the candidate with the most votes. It is perhaps the most simplistic form of an election. Longley, Robert. 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. How about receiving a customized one? 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. 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? 1. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. The senators in the U.S. Senate make up two votes in addition to the votes that represent the number of its members in the U.S. House of Representatives (Archives). Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. 4. For more information, please see our Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. 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 National Popular Vote plan would eliminate what critics of the Electoral College system point to as the "winner-take-all" rule - the awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in that state. Would you like to get a custom essay? But the much greater danger to American democracy is that direct elections may make it possible for a president to be elected by no more than 30 percent of the vote, regardless of his or her suitability for office, so long as there is sufficient money and a clever media advisor behind the effort. 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. To determine the National Popular Vote winner, state election officials simply would tally the nationwide vote for president based on each states official results. That's almost 1.5 billion . Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. It would be a national mandate to put someone in office, even if that winning candidate received less than 50% of the vote. 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. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Education, Explore state by state cost analysis of US colleges in an interactive article, Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections: The Electoral College, University of the Pacific: Electoral College Reform, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School: The Electoral College. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. 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). Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. In 2004, for example, candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry campaigned heavily in states such as Nevada while ignoring political issues in New York, a state that Kerry was sure to win, according to the University of the Pacific. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress (Senators and Representatives) is the total number of electoral votes it is allowed. 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 current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. 41 States (with 80% of U.S. population) will be Ignored in the 2024 Presidential Election. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. 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. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. National Popular Vote compact pros and cons. Their vote only counts at the local level, not the national level, because of the electoral votes. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz often split about 60% of the GOP vote, which allowed Donald Trump to win early primaries with 35% of the vote. For example, if a state used NPV and voted for candidate A, but candidate B received the most votes nationwide, the state would allocate its presidential electors to candidate B. 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). If some of the 50 states and DC cannot certify their popular votes by the December deadline that could create a constitutional crisis where we would not have all of the state Electoral College votes certified by the time the Electoral College is required to vote according to the Constitution. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. During a popular vote, a candidate who withdraws from the race or dies before the election can be held could still be on the ballot. 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. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. 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. Security would be improved across the country. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. Once enacted, the participating states would cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote, thus ensuring that candidate the required 270 electoral votes. (LogOut/ The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. 1. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. In the 2020 election California did not certify their votes until Friday, December 11, only 3 days before the Electoral College met on Monday, December, 14. Advantage: Encourages Voter Turnout In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. Moving to the popular vote structure would eliminate this potential issue. In states with large population centers, individual voters have less power than voters in smaller states. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. 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 The Constitution specifically leaves details like how the electoral votes are cast up to the states. cons of the national popular vote plan. This has occurred in only four of the 58 presidential . It knows that a majoritarianism that produces a plurality is not the voice of a majority of the citizenry. An individuals vote doesnt make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahomans will head to the polls March 7 to decide if the state will become the 22nd in the country to legalize recreational marijuana for use by anyone 21 and older. It happened once, in 1876. If the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact becomes law it would be an excellent first step to help get a future amendment to the Constitution to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect the president with a national popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. 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. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. If a party knows either that it can't win a single elector in a state or has an easy road to winning all of them, it sends its resources to where it has a competitive chance.. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. 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. "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. 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 It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. By continuing well assume youre on board with our, https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Select a writer from a large pool of experts. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. If this happens many people in the red states will not feel that the change is legitimate even if its legal and technically constitutional. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. pros and cons." dave leip's atlas of u.s. presidential elections. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. Under the National Popular Vote plan,the compact would take effect only when enabling legislation has been enacted by states collectively possessing a majority of the electoral votes:270 of 538 total. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. Lastly, it may cause a third-party candidate to prevail and win, which would allow Americans to be given more choices besides the two primary parties (Richards). There are pros and cons to both systems. In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. 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. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. 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. 3. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. In the 2016 election, "swing states" that might vote Republican or Democrat like Wisconsin were targets of candidates Donald J. Trump and Hillary R. Clinton. National Popular Vote values rural and urban voters equally. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president. (LogOut/ Electoral college reform proposals include (1) the district plan, awarding each state's two at-large electoral votes to the statewide popular vote winners, and one electoral vote to the winning candidates in each congressional district; (2) the proportional plan, awarding electoral votes in states in direct proportion to the popular vote gained Similarly, because a national campaign mandates a national message, there would also be a smaller incentive for coalition-building or taking into account the characteristics, needs and desires of citizens in differing states and regions. Samploon is a database of free essay samples.