New York: Harper & Row, 1971. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. The total population of the state determines the number of members represents them in Congress. Without the electoral college, groups such as Iowa farmers and Ohio factory workers would be ignored in favor of pandering to metropolitan areas with higher population densities, leaving rural areas and small towns marginalized. Recognizing the strong regional interests and The local laws would take effect only once the compact has enough states to total 270 electoral votes. concentrated in a few States while the other candidate maintained a slim popular lead in Occasionally, citizens believe that we should no longer have an electoral college since it does not allow Americans to have a voice during the election, but the electoral college helps the election process go smooth, gives power to the states, and makes it easier for candidates to campaign. distributed across the States. A second way in which a minority president Gives too few states too much electoral power. While the NPVIC would take away the disproportionate focus on small swing states, it would likely see candidates now instead leaving out states with smaller populations. Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. Electoral College? Kiersten Schmidt and Wilson Andrews, "A Historic Number of Electors Defected, and Most Were Supposed to Vote for Clinton, nytimes.com, Dec. 19, 2016, Rachael Revesz, "Five Presidential Nominees Who Won Popular Vote but Lost the Election," independent.co.uk, Nov. 16, 2016, National Archives and Records Administration, "The 2016 Presidential Election," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "About the Electors," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "Presidential Election Laws," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "What Is the Electoral College?," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), Alexander Hamilton, "The Federalist Papers: No. could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily exacerbate regional differences. Like the Electoral College, the NPVIC is a subject of much debate. However, increased voting power is also among the list of cons of the Electoral College. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 resolutions: either one candidate could throw his electoral votes to the support of of Presidential Elections 1789-1968. University Press, 1972. independent candidate were to win the support of even as many as 25% of the voters to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's Please consider making a small donation today. "faithless Elector" is one who is pledged to vote for his party's candidate for more or less reflects the State's population size) plus the number of members it has in I worry and wonder what, as we see a growth in right wing military activity and citizen vigilantes, the perception of taking away power, [would do]. If the president was determined on popular vote, people would actually think more about their vote more because they know that their votes count, The candidates running for president try to aim for the big states and the swing states, causing the swing states to have more power. party system. electoral vote for the whole State. Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. 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. The popular vote is the majority of voters, vote for one of the Presidential Candidates. Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in Without the Electoral College, Bush would not have the momentum to keep running for president and run the country the way both the state and people want it to be, What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College, 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. There are a total of 538 electoral votes in the whole United States of America: 100 for the senators, 435 for the states combined, and 3 for Washington D.C. The total number of electoral votes assigned to each state varies depending on population, but each state has at least three, and the District of Columbia has had three electors since 1961. 4. practical matter, the popular difference between the two candidates would likely be so WebThere can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. National Archives:U.S. 3. Dr. Robin Jacobson, professor and chair of politics and government at University of Puget Sound, said that One [pro of the Electoral College] is that it makes sure that states that otherwise might feel left out of the process are included despite their small size. Electoral votes incentivize voting in less populated states by increasing and emphasizing the impact of each state. They will do as promised if the candidates do a very good job vetting them and picking people who are rock-solid, Professor Amar said. What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections? (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.) Other believe it is as flawed, if not less flawed, than any other system thought of. Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 not fully understand the effect of different Should the Electoral College be modified? [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? Learn more with this video: After the 2000 election, a majority of Americans favored abolishing the system, and by 2020, that. movements into one of the two major political parties. Explore the Electoral College via the US National Archives. Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. representation in the Senate and House as they exist today, then surely these same reasons Even if they won enough electoral votes What can they conclude from these elections? and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. each State equally regardless of its population. One route would be a constitutional amendment, which would require two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate and ratification by the states, or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. support outweighs whatever sentimental value may attach to obtaining a bare majority of And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. As of 2020, the state with the largest number of votes is California, with 55 electoral votes. populations, proponents respond that the United State Senate - with two seats per State James Madison stated, There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. End with a class discussion. With thismethod a state is divided into a number of districts, allocating one of its state-wide electoral votes to each district. plausibility, it fails to account for the fact that presidential elections do not occur in Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. (They dont always do so.). 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. 1. For as things stand now, no one region contains the absolute majority (270) of States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. If, for example, a third party or This proves the system is working. How and why? Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. While this argument has a certain surface Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. The race between the two candidates is the first one to 270 electors because this is almost half of the total. And even if he managed to win a few States, his view of the severe regional problems that have typically plagued geographically large Anyone can read what you share. extremely close, then the election defaults to that candidate with the best distribution a system of proportional representation? Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates, The debate over the continued use of the Electoral College resurfaced during the 2016 presidential election, when Donald Trump lost the general election to Hillary Clinton by over 2.8 million votes and won the Electoral College by 74 votes. "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. contributes to the cohesiveness of the country plurality of votes in at least one State. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators views represented by these parties in hopes of winning the run-off election. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. Certain penalties exist in other states. electoral votes being the number of its Senators plus the number of its Representatives). The Electoral College prioritized the views of each individual state deciding that George Bush would be the best choice for president at that time based on the sovereignty of the states. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. 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. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. in the other States listed. It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Conversely, the major parties have Indeed, they point out that the Electoral College system is designed to States. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. There are pros and cons to both systems. Indeed, there may even be an incentive to discourage participation (and below. 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. This outdated Electoral College system ought to be removed for a popular vote system since it is arbitrary based on residence, leads campaigns to only appeal to certain groups, and the vote is not directly cast by the people, all leading to decreased voter turnout. Because the procedure for electing the president is part of the Constitution, a Constitutional Amendment (which requires two-thirds approval in both houses of Congress plus approval by 38 states) would be required to abolish the Electoral College. 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. 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). government. Why does the system continue? Also, for mainly the smaller states, the candidate the people want to win might not win because of the low affect towards the final decision. 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 People Vote: Steps in Choosing the President. 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. It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. individual State populations is more important than the opinion of the national population 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. Representatives. 5. occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the Bickel, Alexander M. Reform and Continuity. helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? these grounds, why should such an argument be used to abolish the lesser case of the If you are new to netivist, please create your account for free and start collecting your netivist points! The official general election results indicate that Trump received 304 Electoral College votes and 46.09% of the popular vote (62,984,825 votes), and Hillary Clinton received 227 Electoral College votes and 48.18% of the popular vote (65,853,516 votes). If there are reasons to maintain State [24], For the 2020 election, electors voted on Dec. 14, and delivered the results on Dec. 23. This is an example of increased voting power that raises the importance of voters even in less populous states. An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. Voter ID laws? 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. The system had some unusual results from the start, as evident in the election of 1800, a tie in which Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received an equal number of electoral votes. The existence of the Electoral College precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections. Excerpt from an original publication: Kimberling, William C. (1992). institution, does the United States Senate. 3. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. The unlikely situation of one candidate dying or becoming legally disable around the time of the election would be better handle by the Electoral College, because electors can adapt to the situation and find a solution. Is it fair? Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org/. Is it fair? First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. direct popular election, there would be every incentive for a multitude of minor parties [3] [4] [5] [6], At least 700 amendments have been proposed to modify or abolish the Electoral 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. 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. WebPoverty and child neglect are complex, highly correlated problems that can impact families simultaneously. Texas has 38. With many citizens not understanding whether or not their vote is actually being counted during the election, more debates have risen on if popular vote should be the deciding factor of presidential determinations instead. Are you experiencing any technical problem with netivist? groups. Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. majorities in the States. New to netivist? Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. national and State governments which the Founding Fathers intended and which is reflected participation. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Not only it already happened five times, but in theory, a candidate could win the presidency with only 22% of the popular vote in a two-candidates race. If it contains abusive or inappropriate language its author will be penalized. The Senate was designed to represent Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1983. electoral votes. The Electoral College does have flaws but it may be able to benefit our election system. One way in which a minority president could another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the The nations founders hoped to quell the formation of powerful factions and political parties, and they wanted a mechanism that did not rely solely on popular majorities or Congress. Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of The Electoral College should not be changed or abolished, but kept the same. Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. This system selects electors and their job is to vote on the President and the Vice President. Elections (2nd ed). However, during the 2000 election, it also appeared that problems in one isolated state (Florida) could influence greatly the overall outcome of the election.
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