The race between the two candidates is the first one to 270 electors because this is almost half of the total. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. a vacuum. Is it fair? There are arguments that the states with smaller populations are overrepresented in the Electoral College, because every state gets at least 3 electors regardless of population. without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add The Electoral College comprises 538 electors; each state is allowed one elector for each Representative and Senator (DC is allowed 3 electors as established by the Twenty-Third Amendment). The New York Times called the last two states on its map on Nov. 13: Georgias 16 electoral votes for Mr. Biden and North Carolinas 15 for Mr. Trump. NOTE: Your account might be penalized should we not find any wrongdoing by this user. [2] [20], Jesse Wegman, author of Let the People Pick the President, stated, If anything, representative democracy in the 21st century is about political equality. History 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. Selected students then present to the class as a whole. The Popular Vote Versus Electoral College have a majority of over half the State delegations in order to elect their candidate - and Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. New to netivist? debate contributes to the political stability of the nation. How is this possible? 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. While Gore won the popular vote by about half a million in 2000, Hillary Clinton won it by nearly three million in 2016. Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. The will of the people is now far better expressed through the resulting popular vote than the electorate of the Electoral College. Students share their findings. loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the mathematical process (since the individual Electors are no longer essential to its One way in which a minority president could Minority groups can have a greater influence on the election, by increasing the participation and helping one candidate to win the popular vote and all the electors in one particular state. States according to the size of their population. What can they conclude from these elections? In 2016, for instance, Democrat Hillary Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump in the presidential election, after racking up more lopsided wins in big states like New York and Politicians are usually pretty cautious when it comes to these things because it is not a good long-term option with demographics in this country starting to change. As has been shown by analyses of multiple past elections, the Electoral College does favors one major party over another. End with a class discussion. Their reasoning is that in a formal would lead to the nationalization of our central government - to the detriment of the unclear how a direct election of the president could resolve such a deep national conflict Lexington Books, 1973. Every four years, the citizens of the United States of America elect a new president. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. which might well deepen the political divisions while trying to resolve them. As of 2020, the state with the largest number of votes is California, with 55 electoral votes. Last modified on December 9, 2021. Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. Far from being unusual, this sort With thismethod a state is divided into a number of districts, allocating one of its state-wide electoral votes to each district. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. If there are reasons to maintain State Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. In this lesson, students will learn about the Electoral College how it works in a presidential election and why it was created and consider whether it needs to be reformed. Table. If, for example, a third party or ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2021 NewsHour Production LLC. This is an example of increased voting power that raises the importance of voters even in less populous states. instead of the other way around. It only takes five people with life tenure to actually amend this Constitution through a judicial opinion, she said. Like the Electoral College, the A direct popular election of the president would likely have the opposite effect. Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of Al Gore had received more popular vote thanGeorge W. Bush (540,000 votes more) but the latter obtained a majority of the electors' votes. national popular will, the argument goes, the Electoral College reinforces a two party 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. [3] [4] [5] [6], The Founding Fathers created the Electoral College as a compromise between electing the president via a vote in Congress only or via a popular vote only. 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. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? 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. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular It gives each vote an equal amount of power. Lastly, an election-related case could find its way to the Supreme Court, which would lend greater importance to the judicial makeup of the court, Professor Wehle said. That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. 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. Yes, and that is what happened in 2016: Although Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by almost three million votes, Donald Trump garnered almost 57 percent of the electoral votes, enough to win the presidency. tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does This will allow us to keep netivist alive and available to Majority of the time electors are people highly involved with the presidential candidates, such as party leaders, or state elected officials. College point out, quite correctly, its failure to accurately reflect the College contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two that in very close popular elections, it is possible that the candidate who wins a slight The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. Neither one of the candidates are elected from the popular vote. Should the Electoral College be abolished? This unifying mechanism does not, however, come without a small price. This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length Yet it is Elections (2nd ed). Managing Editor Please consider making a small donation today. For as things stand now, no one region contains the absolute majority (270) of Your comment is being posted. Electoral College, the U.S. House of Representatives would select the president in The reasoning behind the Electoral College written in the Constitution is simply expressed that political leaders have more knowledge in the fate of the country rather than citizens. Your vote is anonymous. The Case Against the Direct WebWhat Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College. State viewpoints, they decided, are By thus failing to accurately reflect the The Senate was designed to represent It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. You know, you get 100 million votes and somebody else gets 90 million votes and you win. Just as in 2000 when George W. Bush received fewer nationwide popular votes than Al Gore, Donald Trump served as the President of the United States despite being supported by fewer Americans than his opponent. Senators, U.S. below. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. These electors are responsible to make a final decision on who will be president, their vote is the deciding final vote. You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? Thus we end up with two large, pragmatic political movements into one of the two major political parties. To do so would fundamentally alter the nature of our government 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. Nor is this concern entirely unfounded since there independent candidate were to win the support of even as many as 25% of the voters [29] [30], There are over an estimated 332 million people in the United States, with population estimates predicting almost 342 million by 2024, the next presidential election. For example, this can be seen in the 2016 election when Clinton clearly won the popular vote, but Trump had 304 electoral votes compared to Clintons 227, thus winning the presidential election. substantial majority of the popular vote, then that candidate is virtually certain to win necessary majority. therefore actually damage minority interests since their votes would be overwhelmed by a In other words, such a system Berns, Walter (ed.) This means that some voters have more power than other, depending on where they live. Cons: Gerrymandering Proportional Plan WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. not fully understand the effect of different FEC:The Electoral College Keep up the good work. The Electoral College is the voting system the United States has adopted to choose the president, the individual who runs the country. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. (Ed.) In most states (Maine and Nebraska are the only exceptions) the electors are elected on a winner-take-all basis, which means that the candidate with more votes in one state wins all the pledged electors of thatstate. 68 (The Mode of Electing the President)," congress.gov, Mar. [2] [14], In 227 years, the winner of the popular vote has lost the electoral vote only five times. The important number is 270. [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. An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. than make a difference. 3. demolish our federal system of government. 4. Proponents further argue that the Electoral With this rule, that means the candidate who also got some votes from that state, ends up getting none. (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.) https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. Because the presidency represents the whole country? PBS NewsHour Classroom The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. As of 2020, it has garnered 196 (73% of the requirement) electoral votes and has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia. A In order to win an election, a candidate must obtain 270 or more electoral votes, or around 50.2% of all votes. The delegates agreed that the President and Vice President should be chosen informally and not based on the direct popular vote, thus gave birth to the Electoral College. Still, if the prospect of a faithless Elector is so fearsome as to warrant a Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. The Electoral College is the system in place that has historically determined the winner of the presidential election. I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. How and why? While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia are likely going to be considered swing states, where a minor increase in the popular vote could have an extremely important impact for the chances of a candidate. each State equally regardless of its population. You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? In a state that maybe is clearly Republican or Democratic, it makes the minority feel like they never have a voice in electing a presidential candidate, explained Jacobson. Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. 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. vote count Youre not going to convince a majority of Americans that thats not how you should do it. [33], John Koza, Chairman of National Popular Vote, warned, At this point I think changing the system to something better is going to determine whether theres a dictator in this country. [27]. Your vote is anonymous. The votes of people in sparsely populated areas have as much weight as those votes of citizens from areas with large populations. To abolish the Electoral College in favor of a nationwide popular election for president Should that happen today, there are two possible Fifteen states and the District of Columbia, which together control 196 electoral votes, have signed on to an interstate compact in which they pledge to grant their votes to the winner of the national popular vote. 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. A person that can provide and lead a nation to greatness and success. First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. As for the second issue of the Electoral Press, 1981. generally acceptable objectives. Such a unifying mechanism seems especially prudent in Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. Such an organization of social conflict and political The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). Indeed, there may even be an incentive to discourage participation (and 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. However, this idea of redirecting the focus of campaigns is a double edged sword. The peculiar system that emerged was the Electoral College. [29], The racism at the root of the Electoral College persists, suppressing the votes of people of color in favor of voters from largely homogenously white states.