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

622 By John Samples The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. 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. http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. The National Bonus Plan was proposed by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. 2. NCSL's experts are here to answer your questions and give you unbiased, comprehensive information as soon as you need it on issues facing state legislatures. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. 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? This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. The bill has passed one chamber in 12 additional states with 96 electoral votes. As of December 2020, the National Popular Vote bill has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, controlling 196 electoral votes: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. Candidates feel these states need a little bit more of their attention and apply pressure to supply these states with solutions to their problems in order to gain their vote. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. The amendment requires that any change to the rate of compensation for members of Congress can only take effect after a subsequent election in the House of Representatives. Today the Democrats want to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system with a direct popular vote and the Republicans adamantly want to keep it. 6. 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. In fact, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which has now been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, totaling 196 electoral votes, is an actionable and realistic . It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). For under its plan, the next time the U.S. has very close national vote, a recount would not be of six million votes in one state but of more than 130 million votes in all states and the District of Columbia, all with their own rules for conducting a recount. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. evergreen funeral home live stream. On April 15, 2014 Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York State quietly signed into law the National Popular Vote, making New York the 10th state -- along with the District of Columbia -- to support this effort, while also boosting the total numbers to 165 of the 270 electoral votes needed to make a true national popular vote a reality. 3. Their answer is simple: one in which every citizen's vote is equal to every other citizen's vote and one in which the winner of the presidential popular vote, no matter how small his or her percentage is of those who voted, would be elected. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. Imperfect, because its modern-day blessings -- enhancing coalition building, pluralism, federalism and grass-roots participation -- are enjoyed only by a minority of states (in any given presidential election 18 or 20), where the battle for electoral votes is competitive for both major parties. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. Or states might explore what was recently proposed in Colorado -- that electors be allocated in proportion to each candidate's share of the popular vote above a certain threshold. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. (2021, Jun 14). With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The Supreme Court has said in local and state elections voting should be based on the principle of one person one vote. In 6 Elections, 2 Near-Misses (2020, 2004) and 2 Second-Place Presidents (2016, 2000) National Popular Vote Has Been Enacted into Law in 16 Jurisdictions with 195 Electoral Votes. April 8, 2016 National popular vote far better than Electoral College system for choosing presidents, Stanford professors say. The National Popular Vote Bill is a bill for Americans interested in both preserving our Electoral College and reforming the shortcomings of our current "winner-take-all" system that awards all the electors of one state to the candidate who wins in that particular state and . According to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, some proponents of the Electoral College argue that it isolates election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout. The winner-take-all rule is not required by the Constitution and was actually used by only three states in the nation's first presidential election in 1789. 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. Bosque de Palabras Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. But NPV could force our electors to disregard the wishes of the . We have seen this outcome in the 2016 Presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and in the 2000 election between George H.W. Unless the national popular vote was very close, or there were all lot of recounts outstanding, the Compact states in most cases would effectively know what the outcome would be and could be prepared to certify their state votes very quickly to make the Electoral College meeting date deadline. Feb 25, 2023. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. 4. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. 9. 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). Heres how. And in all states but Maine and Nebraska, the candidate who receives the most votes in that state is awarded all of its electoral votes, whether the split is 51% to 49% or 99% to 1%. (LogOut/ However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. The Congressional District method would allocate electoral votes based on the winner of each congressional district. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. There are a number of pros for this method. 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. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. Longley, Robert. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. 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. Longley, Robert. and our Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. The method works by electing one elector within each congressional district by popular vote and selecting the remaining two electors by a statewide popular vote. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. Thats a bank of about 14 million potential voters that reliably vote as a majority for Democratic candidates. The country thinks we are going to elect the president using the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system tans and then four months before the election we change to the National Popular Vote Compact system and elect the president by whoever gets the most popular votes. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. 7. 8. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. 1. Without any sort of broad support, the politics of the country could become even more fractured than they already are. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. 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. Definition and Examples, How Political Party Convention Delegates are Chosen, What Is a Caucus? Con:not Eliminate possibility that loser of the popular vote can still win the electoral vote The Proportional Plan A proposed reform where each presidential candidate would receive the percent of electoral votes that they win from each state Proportional Plan Pro:Possible for loser of popular vote to win presidency. This is a situation that has caused controversy in the election years of of 1800, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016 when the elected president won the Electoral College and the presidency but did not win the popular vote. Ken Bickers. Common Cause Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. To take effect, the National Popular Vote bill must be enacted by the state legislatures of states controlling a total of 270 electoral votes - a majority of the overall 538 electoral votes and the number currently required to elect a president. To date, the bill has passed at least one legislative chamber in 9 states possessing 82 combined electoral votes: AR, AZ, ME, MI, MN, NC, NV, OK, and OR. And unlike direct elections, either would provide an incentive for grass-roots activity, coalition building and enhanced citizen participation. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. 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. In contrast, other issues related to the federal government are not exclusively entrusted to the states, and therefore the states lack the power to alter them. The National Popular Vote plan is a bill passed by participating state legislatures agreeing that they will cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. National Popular Vote (NPV) was founded in 2006 by lottery scratch-card inventor John Koza and election lawyer Barry Fadem to lobby for an "interstate compact" for states to deliver their electoral votes for President to the "winner" of the national popular vote. State Question 820 lays out a statutory framework for a recreational industry that would begin about 90 days after election results are certified. 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. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. That created a voter value of 2.85. But with the NPV Compact a change in party control of just one or two states could restore the old system of electing the president and then four years later it could be changed back. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Proportional Plan This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. Because of the state Winner-Take-All rules, which arent even part of the Constitution, they can lead to presidential elections where the winner of the election doesnt have the most popular votes. Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. 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. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. 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. Each states electoral votes are tallied by Congress in the House chamber by House and Senate representatives on the 6th day of January following the Presidential election. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. Like most issues involving politics, the U.S. Constitution is largely silent on the political issues of presidential elections. Image the country thinks it is going to elect the president by National Popular Vote and then changing back to using the old Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system just four months before an election. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. 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. Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their votes. It knows that a majoritarianism that produces a plurality is not the voice of a majority of the citizenry. 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.