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. Cons of Electoral College. The National Popular Vote effort is now halfway to its goal of electing future presidents via the popular vote, after Rhode Island . While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. ; Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. In fact, part of a presidential candidates campaign strategy is drawing a map of states the candidate can and must win to gather 270 electoral votes. National popular vote plan. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. Although its not detailed in the Constitution, each state delegation would vote on which candidate to support as a group, with the plurality carrying the day, said Akhil Reed Amar, a professor of law and political science at Yale University. 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. 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). The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. 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. 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. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. 2. 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. Additionally, the Founders reasoned that the system would prevent states with larger populations from having an unequal influence on the election. 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). Why National Popular Vote Is a Bad Idea | HuffPost Latest News 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. The use of the Electoral College has been the only approach the U.S. has used to gain a President, but this way has generated numerous issues. What relevance do they have today. Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. NCSL helps draft bills, organize workshops and convene legislative-executive teams. For years there have been debates about abolishing the Electoral College entirely, with the 2016 election bringing the debate back to the surface. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. 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. Our experts will write for you an essay on any topic, with any deadline and requirements from scratch, Electoral College and National Popular Vote Pros and Cons. 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. Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators What Happens if There Is a Tie in the Electoral College? Fifteen states and DC have already enacted it into law, for a total of 196 electoral votes. National popular vote - Ballotpedia 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. Evidence as to how a nationwide presidential campaign would be run can be found by examining the way presidential candidates currently campaign inside battleground states. This new series from the AP is dedicated to answering commonly asked questions from our audience about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Electoral College. To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one or 270 electoral votes. FEC:The Electoral College By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. National popular vote - frequently asked questions When you vote for a presidential candidate, you are actually voting for a group of electors from your state who have all pledged to vote for your candidate. You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. One of the main critiques of the Electoral College is that because 48 states choose to allocate electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis (the College is established by the Constitution, but the . Electoral College Pros and Cons The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. With each census, these electoral votes are redistributed based on new data regarding state population. Gives too few states too much electoral power. 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. There are logistical issues that are managed at the local level in each election. The same thing happened in 2000. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. Electoral College vs. popular vote in the United States It could help to reduce partisanship. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less. And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. ThoughtCo, Feb. 17, 2021, thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. cons of the national popular vote planproperty management without a license in texas aot 4, 2022 12:34 . Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. It could encourage voter turnout. Understand how the Electoral College system works. Thats how politics works in America. 6. High Credit Score Borrowers Penalized Under New Federal Mortgage Fee Plan Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. Texas has 38. (The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.). But she lost the presidency due to Trumps winning margin in the Electoral College, which came after he pulled out narrow victories in less populated Midwestern states like Michigan and Wisconsin. I am confident that when we enter the next phase where the popular vote leans Republican that Republicans will change and be adamant that we should elect the president by direct popular vote and Democrats will be arguing why we should keep the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system. Longley, Robert. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. ThoughtCo. April 23, 2023. . So you run a campaign designed to maximize your votes in those few largest states. 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. Rescue crews are fighting rugged terrain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as search efforts for a missing man remain ongoing.