cons of the national popular vote plan

Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. . Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. 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 brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. But NPV could force our electors to disregard the wishes of the . Post author: Post published: June 29, 2022 Post category: Uncategorized Post comments: paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale paris apartment eiffel tower view for sale The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. 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. 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. Or the opposite could be true. The National Popular Vote Plan. 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 Proportional Plan tobin james the blend 2017 ; real estate marketing solutions; cons of the national popular vote plan; lassi kefalonia shops cons of the national popular vote plan Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. 48 Vitosha Boulevard, ground floor, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria, Samploon, Inc. 2022. 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. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. Though the original, some would say highly undemocratic, purpose. 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. Instead of a direct popular election, the United States has the Electoral College, a group of electors who represent each state's votes. The National Bonus Plan was proposed by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. 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. 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. Definition and Examples, How Political Party Convention Delegates are Chosen, What Is a Caucus? 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. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. However, this also means that regions with a quite low population density will almost have no influence on the election outcome at all since they only have far too few votes to make a real difference. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? 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. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. The last amendment, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, was ratified nearly 200 years after it was originally proposed. National Popular Vote - Pros and Cons "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. A simple change in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could fix the flaw and still provide the benefits of a popular election. Explains kimberling, william c., and dave leip's . Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. 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). One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. That means some voters, like Republicans in California or Democrats in Mississippi, are voting without power and without attention from their preferred candidates each year. This feature is critical to the passionate bipartisan support the compact receives. The bill has crossed paths with 36 legislative chambers and has been sponsored or voted for by 3,112 state legislators (National Popular Vote). 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. In the 2020 general election, a ballot proposition attempted to overturn Colorado's membership to the pact, but the measure failed, 52.3% to 47.7% in the referendum. 622 By John Samples The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted. 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. 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. 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. It could encourage voter turnout. 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. 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. According to Article II, Section 1, "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress." Published: Mar. When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. Bosque de Palabras Here are six reasons why legislators should reject this attempt to jettison our electoral system: 1. Where the National Popular Vote Plan Stands. 1. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. Cons: Smaller states don't get as much of a say and people would demand a national recount National Bonus Plan Winner of popular vote gets extra 102 electoral votes Pros: 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. 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 . On a close popular vote, often defined as a difference of 0.5% or less in the tabulated results, an automatic recount would likely be triggered. After the process, the President of the Senate reveals who has officially been voted in as President and Vice President of the United States. Inside Ohio or Florida, to pick two examples, the big cities do not receive all the attention, and they certainly do not control the outcome. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. and our cons of the national popular vote plan. 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. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer (LogOut/ Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. Retrieved from https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Should the Electoral College Be Abolished, Pros for The Electoral College in the United States, Electoral College is Undemocratic but We Have no Better System, The Electoral College Should Be Terminated, The Electoral College Annotated Bibliography. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. These battleground or swing states receive 7% more federal grants, twice as many presidential disaster declarations, more Superfund enforcement exemptions, and more No Child Left Behind law exemptions (National Popular Vote). A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. On a close popular vote, often defined as a difference of 0.5% or less in the tabulated results, an automatic recount would likely be triggered. Security would be improved across the country. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. Common Cause There are a number of pros for this method. All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. The advantage of this system is that it preserves the preferences of. Would you like to get a custom essay? 5. That means a candidate who receives a majority of their votes in a high-delegate state, such as California, could make a dramatic impact on the rest of the election. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. 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. 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 on WordPress.com. 4. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. National Popular Vote compact pros and cons. 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. Now, the states are considering the National Popular Vote plan, a system that, while not doing away with the Electoral College system, would modify it to ensure that the candidate winning the national popular vote is ultimately elected president. 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. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. Because there was a difference of less than 1,000 tabulated votes between George W. Bush and Al Gore in one state, Florida, the nation watched as 6 million votes were recounted by machine, several hundred thousand were recounted by hand in counties with differing recount standards, partisan litigators fought each other in state and federal courts, the secretary of state backed by the majority of state legislators (all Republicans) warred with the state's majority Democratic judiciary -- until 37 days after the election the U.S. Supreme Court, in a bitterly controversial 5-4 decision effectively declared Bush the winner. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election N.p., n.d. For example, if a candidate was very popular in New York City, Los Angeles and other large cities, she might not need to earn votes from other areas of the country. Activating the National Popular Vote compact would reshape our . Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. 6. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. In 2016, Hillary Clinton had more than 10 million of these votes, while Donald Trump had more than 8.3 million, even though Trump won 30 states and Clinton won 20 and the District of Columbia. As a result, the bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. An individuals vote doesnt make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The only election in the United States which is not governed by the popular vote is the presidential election. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. 3. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. what connection type is known as "always on"? 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. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. Politicians would focus on fewer swing states (Bigger states more potential votes) 1. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. 9. And finally, the Electoral College doesnt work today anywhere near how the Founding Fathers intended it to work when they created it back in 1787. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. 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. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . That means the cost of counting all the votes would be duplicated. 2. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. 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). Among the others: By its very size and scope, a national direct election will lead to nothing more than a national media campaign, which would propel the parties' media consultants to inflict upon the entire nation what has been heretofore limited to the so-called battleground states: an ever-escalating, distorted arms race of tit-for-tat unanswerable attack advertising polluting the airwaves, denigrating every candidate and eroding citizen faith in their leaders and the political process as a whole. 5. National Popular Vote Plan page 3 that non-member states that fail to hold such elections will not be included in the determination of 'the national popular vote winner.' This sidesteps the problem and provides an incentive for all states (non-members as well as members) to (continue to) hold such elections. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). 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. 6. It could help to reduce partisanship. Under the plan, Michigan's 15 Electoral . ThoughtCo. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. 2. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. If the National Popular Vote bill was secured within the American government, it would protect every vote and would allow those votes to equally matter in the presidential election. Many people may feel that any major change in how we elect the president should be in the Constitution and not in a legal loop hole even if its legal and technically constitutional. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). How about receiving a customized one? First it would be relatively easy to implement. 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. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. The election is held every four years on the first Tuesday in November and prior to election day, the two candidates endure state-level primaries, caucuses, debates, and conventions. 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. The National Popular Vote effort, explained The National Popular Vote effort is now halfway to its goal of electing future presidents via the popular vote, after Rhode Island Gov. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. The bill has passed one chamber in 12 additional states with 96 electoral votes. 13 Early College High School Pros and Cons, 18 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period, 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Leasing a Car, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing, 24 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of a C Corporation, 16 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Mediation, 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gated Community, 17 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups, 17 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds, 19 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Annuities, 17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. Past Event: The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties has announced plans to broadcast a webinar discussing the National Popular Vote (NPV) on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m. National Popular Vote has been leading the campaign to fix the electoral college and elect the president by national popular vote since its founding in 2006 . 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. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. 7. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it . As of July 2020, a National Popular Vote bill has been signed into law in 16 states controlling a total of 196 electoral votes, including 4 small states, 8 medium-sized states, 3 big states (California, Illinois, and New York), and the District of Columbia. Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. It is also true that no president since 1824 has received the votes of a majority of the eligible voters and 18 presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John. 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. 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. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. Lastly, some Americans believe that there would be an increase in voter turn-out if people felt that their vote was viewed as a significant asset to their country. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. The National Popular Vote plan does not do away with the Electoral College system, an action that would require a constitutional amendment. In summary, a popular vote is simply a vote in which the individual or issue with the most total votes from a population of voters is the winner. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. Samploon is a database of free essay samples. However, Hilary Clinton won 2.6 million more popular votes nationwide than Donald Trump. F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were elected with less than a majority of the votes cast. But for those people who feel that changing how we elect the president should only be done by constitutional amendment they will feel that using the NPV Compact will undermine the legitimacy of the process even though its perfectly legal and constitutional. That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. However that presumably rare exception happened in the 2000 election when Florida could not complete their statewide recount in time for the Electoral College deadline and the Supreme Court forced Florida to use their first vote count without a statewide recount. mike matarazzo last photo. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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 Congressional District method would allocate electoral votes based on the winner of each congressional district. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. 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. Cons of Electoral College. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. April 8, 2016 National popular vote far better than Electoral College system for choosing presidents, Stanford professors say. As a result, the percentage of popular votes secured by Donald Trump was just 46.4% in comparison with Hilary Clinton, who secured 48.5% of the votes. 10 Apr. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. Instead, it modifies the winner-take-all rule in a way its supporters say would assure that every vote will matter in every state in every presidential election. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. Because of the Winner-Take-All state laws candidates for president only campaign and spend their money in 12-13 swing states because voters in those few swing states determine who wins the election and presidential candidates totally ignore voters in the rest of the country(except to raise money). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The winner would receive one vote per congressional district won with the winner of the state popular vote gaining a two electoral votes. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. The lack of competition and campaigning in a majority of states owes itself not to the existence of the Electoral College's indirect method of choosing presidents but rather to the winner-take-all method of choosing electors in all but two states. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the . All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. 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. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. 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? cons of the national popular vote plan. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. It happened once, in 1876. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight.

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