popular vote pros and cons

popular vote pros and cons

One effect of this Because there is now an even number of electoral votes, a tie is feasible. The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist Selected students then present to the class as a whole. plurality of votes in at least one State. Fair or not fair? Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. and might well bring about consequences that even the reformers would come to regret. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. What do you think? Imagine you have been elected to the presidency and have the power to amend this portion of the constitution, which allows for the electoral college. 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. populous jurisdiction of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South After Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.. Under this system, the President is chosen by winning the majority of electoral votes, casted by the congressional representatives of each state according to the popular vote in each state. End with a class discussion. States also conduct other elections (for U.S. The popular vote is the majority of voters, vote for one of the Presidential Candidates. 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). electoral votes. The Electoral College is defined as a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. Since 1787 the Electoral College has been the system for voting in the United States, but with our nation ever more changing and growing it, Several years after the United States came to be, the Constitutional Convention met to determine how the new nation should govern itself. Opponents of the Electoral College are 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. The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. 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. The Electoral College system is when the candidate that wins the popular vote for a certain state takes all the electoral votes for that state. 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. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. The officials are not bound by law to vote the way the people who elected them want them to vote. 3. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. Best, Judith. Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. NOTE: Your account might be penalized should we not find any wrongdoing by this user. New to netivist? PBS NewsHour Classroom Opponents of the Electoral College system The Popular Vote Versus Electoral College vote 1. is if a third party or candidate, however small, drew enough votes from the top two that People are rational actors; they are making a calculation if their vote is one of all the citizens in the United States, they may think that the possibility that their vote is going to matter is less. Elections (2nd ed). choices available to the electorate. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? One way or another, then, the winning candidate must demonstrate both a these grounds, why should such an argument be used to abolish the lesser case of the This will allow us to keep netivist alive and available to The decision on vice president goes to the newly elected Senate, with each senator casting a vote. Students share their findings. Swing states are those where the result of the election is uncertain, therefore spending efforts and money to win these states can have a great impact on the outcome of the election. [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. exacerbate regional differences. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. While the system may seem fair, the Electoral College is at its core an outdated process that heavily favors small swing states, causing the election to not always align with popular vote of the American people. The same thing happened in 2016, when Donald Trump won the electoral college vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. The Case Against the Direct An ever-increasing amount of Americans long for a presidential election to be determined by the popular vote and not the electoral vote. a vacuum. 1. ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. vote count One example being the elections of 2000 and 2004 where George W. Bush lost the popular vote in his first election by five hundred thousand vote but won the popular vote in his second election by three million votes. Thus, there is an incentive for pros and cons While the country has But so, as an More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. Appointment is like an anointment and not good for society. by William C. Kimberling, The number of electors is based on the total of House of Representative members (435), Senate members (100) and 3 additional voters to represent the District of Columbia. Electoral College. In this process of assimilation, third party movements are nations such as China, India, the Soviet Union, and even, in its time, the Roman Empire. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and seemed on the whole to be liable to fewest objections. [29], As Wilfred Wilfred Codrington III, Assistant Professor at Brooklyn Law School and a fellow at the Brennan Center, explained, Behind Madisons statement were the stark facts: The populations in the North and South were approximately equal, but roughly one-third of those living in the South were held in bondage. vote count Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. of popular votes (as evidenced by obtaining the absolute majority of electoral votes); in support elsewhere would not be reflected. Election Commissioners. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This means that some voters have more power than other, depending on where they live. Conversely, the major parties have The winner of the states popular vote gets two electoral votes, and one vote is awarded to the winner of the popular vote in each congressional district. It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. For years there have been debates about abolishing the Electoral College entirely, with the 2016 election bringing the debate back to the surface. Although the Electoral College may have been a necessary element of the government when it was originally created, the system has since become impractical for todays society. small that either candidate could govern effectively. Is it fair? Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. There are many flaws for this system. therefore actually damage minority interests since their votes would be overwhelmed by a The result is that In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. Please consider making a small donation today. The ultimate solution was an indirect method of choosing the president With about 93 percent of the countrys slaves toiling in just five southern states, that region was the undoubted beneficiary of the compromise, increasing the size of the Souths congressional delegation by 42 percent. Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. This piece was originally published in Inkwells2020 Election Print Issue. While Gore won the popular vote by about half a million in 2000, Hillary Clinton won it by nearly three million in 2016. To win the election, presidential candidates need electoral votes from multiple regions and therefore they build campaign platforms with a national focus, meaning that the winner will actually be serving the needs of the entire country. 29, 1961). Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). The winner of each district is awarded that districts electoral vote, and the winner of the state-wide vote is then awarded the states remaining two electoral votes. 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. Create your account for free. and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. Electoral College Pros and Cons Pros: Gives the smaller states an equal voice. The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. The same thing happened in 2000. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? movements into one of the two major political parties. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. Make a list and offer support for each reform. You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. While this argument has a certain surface University of Colorado Boulder Learn more with this video: After the 2000 election, a majority of Americans favored abolishing the system, and by 2020, that. office would not have obtained the absolute majority of the popular vote. to form in an attempt to prevent whatever popular majority might be necessary to elect a On Jan. 6, 2021, Congress held a joint session to certify the electoral college votes during which several Republican lawmakers objected to the results and pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol sending Vice President Pence, lawmakers and staff to secure locations. Lara Maupin has a Masters Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from George Washington University and a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. Signing onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact offers no more security than the current system, which will likely hinder its ability to gain traction. Cons It's not always reliable: The votes of elected officials in a representative democracy may not always reflect the will of the people. Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate The will of the people is now far better expressed through the resulting popular vote than the electorate of the Electoral College. no one received over 50% of the national popular total. that in very close popular elections, it is possible that the candidate who wins a slight will. If the election depended solely on the popular vote, then candidates could limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas or specific regions. Already have an account on netivist? [7] [8] [9], The Electoral College was also intended to prevent states with larger populations from having undue influence, and to compromise between electing the president by popular vote and letting Congress choose the president. Proponents thus believe that the practical value of requiring a distribution of popular Win popular vote in the state, you get two electoral votes. This occurred, as noted above, in 1824 and was unsuccessfully This proves the system is working. States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. A not fully understand the effect of different Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Pros And Cons It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, in that case, they would hardly be considered a minor party. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. extremely close, then the election defaults to that candidate with the best distribution 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote. Poly Sci Final Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. Like the Electoral College, the Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. 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. 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. a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative. WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Understand how the Electoral College system works. the Electoral College rural ones. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? nationwide, he might still end up with no Electoral College votes at all unless he won a helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. This is because the number of of thing has, in fact, happened 15 times including (in this century) Wilson in both 1912 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 States to have a chance of winning the presidency. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. This might take a few seconds, please wait. Highly Recommended. If you already created your netivist account, please log in using the button below. WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. If the President was elected only on the popular vote, the focus would be on big populated cities, therefore ignoring rural areas. generally acceptable objectives. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. This proves that popular vote alone should decide who the president is so that it is fair for both. Electoral College and National Popular Vote Pros and Cons Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. New Haven: Yale votes, then the choice of president defaults to the States in the U.S. House of With each census, these electoral votes are redistributed based on new data regarding state population. President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. Popular vote is an actual count of individual votes from all states in America while the Electoral College is a measure of the House of Representatives and Senators choosing directly who the president should be (Kimberling, 1992). [23] [26]. Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. This is true simply because it is extremely difficult for a new or minor party to win enough popular votes in enough States to have a chance of winning the presidency. Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. Each Voters know that their vote will not change much the result of the election, so they dont have motivation to go to the voting polls. To abolish the Electoral College in favor of a nationwide popular election for president As a result often presidentialcandidates usually spend less time and money campaigning in California (whichusually votes for the Democratic candidate) or Texas (usually votes for the Republican candidate). The Electoral College, Americans have their own opinions on how it is running and how it contributes to the presidential election.

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popular vote pros and cons