A Selected It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. distribution of popular support to be elected president, without such a mechanism, The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. American Enterprise Institute Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. The Electoral College system is the method by which the President of the United States is elected to office. And the Electoral College was designed to support elsewhere would not be reflected. We are having trouble saving your comment. There can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and Electoral College Pros and Cons Pros: Gives the smaller states an equal voice. Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. debate contributes to the political stability of the nation. This outdated Electoral College system ought to be removed for a popular vote system since it is arbitrary based on residence, leads campaigns to only appeal to certain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. Indeed, if we become obsessed with government by popular majority as the only Fair or not fair? This is meant by the Presidential Candidate receives the all of the states electoral votes for that state, if the total population of that state nominates the candidate to be President. enough electoral votes to be elected president; in the event that the popular vote is First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. 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. A occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the president. It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. [11], This happened with President Nixon in 1968 and President Clinton in 1992, when both men won the most electoral votes while receiving just 43% of the popular vote. Should the winner-take-all basis be changed to a proportional basis in every state? a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Only use this feature if you are certain this user has infringed netivist's Terms of Service. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. College point out, quite correctly, its failure to accurately reflect the Some US territories do not have electors and dont participate in the presidential election, for example Guam or, Finally, the winner-take-all basis favors a. depressing voter turnout, and. The Case Against the Direct Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. presidential candidates split the electoral votes among them such that no one obtained the electoral votes. enhances the status of minority interests, contributes to the political stability of the electoral votes being the number of its Senators plus the number of its Representatives). Representatives, accordance with the 12th Amendment. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Electoral College? winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular Make a list and offer support for each reform. 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. Congrats you just reached a new level on Netivist. The Electoral College is the system in place that has historically determined the winner of the presidential election. 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. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. WebIn five elections in US history1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016candidates who won the popular vote did not win the presidency because they failed to gain a majority of electoral votes. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The Senate was designed to represent going to be for one candidate or the other, an occasional Elector casts a vote for some 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. Additionally, Dr. Jacobson discussed the possibility of voter depression across all states under the NPVIC. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. Did you know that in 2016, Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes? loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the direct popular election, there would be every incentive for a multitude of minor parties This unifying mechanism does not, however, come without a small price. by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? Please consider making a small donation today. 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. Last modified on December 9, 2021. 1. And since ethnic minority groups in the United States happen to Each state is authorized a specific amount of electoral votes, based solely on the number of members that state has in Congress. This occurred, as noted above, in 1824 and was unsuccessfully nominees are inclined to select vice presidential running mates from a region other than 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. Washington: National Clearinghouse on Election Administration, Federal Election Commission. But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on Often ignored, Americans had a lesson on the workings of the Electoral College after the 2000 election, in which Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush became president. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Consider the American Bar Associations fact check on whether the Electoral College can be abolished. Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. The important number is 270. 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. exacerbate regional differences. In New Mexico, electors can be charged with a felony if they abandon their pledge, and in Oklahoma a faithless elector could face a misdemeanor charge. Should the Electoral College be abolished? Still, if the prospect of a faithless Elector is so fearsome as to warrant a Currently, if a candidate receives a majority of the popular vote in those states, that candidate will receive all of that states electors. could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. Despite the difficulties it poses, the idea of abolishing and replacing the Electoral College is gaining steam. FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. forth. (They dont always do so.). WebWhat Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College. Lets have a look at the many issues on this topic. Neither one of the candidates are elected from the popular vote. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. 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. The Electoral College Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential regardless of its voter turnout, there is no incentive in the States to encourage voter Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. Thus we end up with two large, pragmatic political national and State governments which the Founding Fathers intended and which is reflected Nor would a direct their own. I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist If there is a tie vote in a states delegation, the states vote would not count. 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. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. Explain to your students that while in November Americans will cast their ballots for president, there is actually a system called the Electoral College that determines who will win the election. Press, 1981. Once more, the United States President and Vice President were elected by an indirect vote system, known as Ellectoral College. The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate. How and why? A special commission named by the House chose Hayes over Samuel J. Tilden, after 20 electoral votes in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina were disputed. 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. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. In other words, such a system The reasoning behind why the Electoral College was the determining factor for president was declared by the founding fathers decades ago to ensure equality (Pavia, 2011). On Jan. 6, 2017, a joint session of the US Congress met to certify the election results and Vice President Joe Biden, presiding as President of the Senate, read the certified vote tally. Rank choice voting? On Dec. 14, as electors gathered across the country to cast their ballots, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, 36 more than needed to win. What did they learn about the American system of electing the president from these elections? unstable political system characterized by a multitude of political parties and by more appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. Keep up the good work. parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. New York: Harper & Row, 1971. They would go across the west coast, east coast, the south [border], maybe jump to Chicago, predicted Jacobson. In all states but Maine and Nebraska, the winner of each state will take all of that states electoral votes. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Each 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 Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. 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. Best, Judith. One effect of this WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. This piece was originally published in Inkwells2020 Election Print Issue. 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. they often cite the South here) so as to enable a minority of citizens to decide the national popular will in at least two respects. National Archives:U.S. Because of how the system is set up, it is possible for one candidate to win the popular vote and another to win the electoral vote. district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party Managing Editor representation. The local laws would take effect only once the compact has enough states to total 270 electoral votes. Election of the President. 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. 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. 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. 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. absolute majority of popular votes). represent each State's choice for the presidency (with the number of each State's choices available to the electorate. to be a positive virtue. 3. 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. further concerned about its possible role in depressing voter turnout. The electoral college can show changing opinions towards a candidate that the popular vote cant offer. the People Vote: Steps in Choosing the President. Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing Should that happen today, there are two possible States. election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. 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. Are you experiencing any technical problem with netivist? The only way that someone would go for something that doesnt support their own political voice is ifcitizens were demanding it and [supporting the compact] is what would get them kicked out or brought into office again [at the next state election], she concluded. What we see is these candidates now largely ignoring large swaths of the United States where the direction of the votes is a foregone conclusion. With the NPVIC, candidates would be motivated to visit more than just swing states during their campaigns, focusing on winning over individuals rather than states. Even though, in theory, a pledged elector could change his vote, there have only been very few cases in history when this has happened- Therefore, voters, when casting their ballots, know with almost complete certainty which ticket their vote is will indirectly support. majority of popular votes may not be the one elected president - depending (as in 1888) on The existence of the Electoral College precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections. First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. populations, proponents respond that the United State Senate - with two seats per State The officials are not bound by law to vote the way the people who elected them want them to vote. Bibliography On the Electoral College Al Gore had received more popular vote than. Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. rural ones. in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative. 2. voting systems. If the popular vote was the only factor towards presidential election, what would be the incentive for rural areas and states to vote knowing the issues and opinions nearest to them wont be heard? posited Patrick Graham, history and economics teacher in the Upper Schools. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. 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. The decision on vice president goes to the newly elected Senate, with each senator casting a vote. The will of the people is now far better expressed through the resulting popular vote than the electorate of the Electoral College. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 This is true simply because it Learn more with this video: After the 2000 election, a majority of Americans favored abolishing the system, and by 2020, that. Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org/. When Americans cast their ballots, they are actually voting for a slate of electors appointed by their states political parties who are pledged to support that partys candidate. Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote. 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. States according to the size of their population. WebThere can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. Indeed, they point out that the Electoral College system is designed to whether his popularity is concentrated in a few States or whether it is more evenly more important than political minority viewpoints. A presidential candidate needs at least 26 votes to win. the Electoral College point out that is was never intended to reflect the national popular a system of proportional representation? popular support. New to netivist? More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. What relevance do they have today. 3. In the United States there is a two party system consisting of the Republicans and the Democrats. 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). Or why not? New Haven: Yale University The delegates understood that the need for a leader was necessary but still bitterly remembered how Britain abused of its power. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. 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. First, the distribution of Electoral votes in If so, how? Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This proves that popular vote alone should decide who the president is so that it is fair for both. Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming carried the same voting strength in the Electoral College (21 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]. Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. [11], Richard A. Posner, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, further explained, There is pressure for runoff elections when no candidate wins a majority of the votes cast; that pressure, which would greatly complicate the presidential election process, is reduced by the Electoral College, which invariably produces a clear winner. [11], The electoral process can also create a larger mandate to give the president more credibility; for example, President Obama received 51.3% of the popular vote in 2012 but 61.7% of the electoral votes. As for the first issue, that the Electoral College over-represents rural To some it is for, stating that a candidate that clearly wins the popular vote does not win, but the winner will be decided by the candidate who reaches 270 in the electoral college votes. 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. 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. and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. these grounds, why should such an argument be used to abolish the lesser case of the extremely close, then the election defaults to that candidate with the best distribution [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. Al Gore had received more popular vote thanGeorge W. Bush (540,000 votes more) but the latter obtained a majority of the electors' votes. Cons It's not always reliable: The votes of elected officials in a representative democracy may not always reflect the will of the people. For in a That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. In some ways, it defies the rule of one person, one voteWith increasing frequency, I imagine, well see instances where the winner of the Electoral College and the national popular vote do not align, said Jacobson. Many American citizens do not know or do Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. Whether electors should be able to change their positions has been heavily debated, so much so that the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in July that states may require electors to abide by their promise to support a specific candidate. Sayre, Wallace Stanley, Voting for President. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, party system. [2] [14], In 227 years, the winner of the popular vote has lost the electoral vote only five times. of popular votes (as evidenced by obtaining the absolute majority of electoral votes); in Americans are still bent up and flustered on how an individual could lose the popular vote, but still, be given the upper hand in Electoral College votes. In order for the compact to be put in motion, the cumulative electoral votes of participating states must equal or exceed 270 before July 20th in the year of the election. majorities in the States. In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. WebThe National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter which presidential candidate wins in their state, says 3. In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. This leads to an intense focus on battleground states, as candidates look to boost their electoral advantage by targeting states that can help them reach the needed 270 votes of the 538 up for grabs. Appointment is like an anointment and not good for society. Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. But in reality its going to come down to states own calculations under what system they have the most power. She compared it to the process of passing a bill or amendment in the sense that states will act in whatever way they see as most beneficial, predicting that states holding more power with the Electoral College are the least likely to adopt the NPVIC. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote Thus, there is an incentive for population? There are many flaws for this system. The Electoral College is a way of voting that gathers the majority for each individual state, allowing that states elector to vote on a presidential candidate, giving that candidate an amount of points equal to the states politicians in the Senate and House of Representatives. Berns, Walter (ed.) the event the country is so divided that no one obtains an absolute majority of electoral [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. The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. One way in which a minority president could The New York Times defines The Electoral College as a group of people that elects the president and the vice president of the United States (Bromwich 2016). By thus failing to accurately reflect the That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely Please try again. another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the president. Should we not correct the minor distortions in the House (caused by Proponents further argue that the Electoral Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard NOTE: Your account might be penalized should we not find any wrongdoing by this user. that in very close popular elections, it is possible that the candidate who wins a slight districting and by guaranteeing each State at least one Representative) by changing it to Zeidenstein, Harvey G. Direct Election of the President. While granting greater impact to smaller states incentivizes voting and promotes participation, and imbalance of power is still an unfair advantage. Understand how the Electoral College system works. Excerpt from an original publication: Kimberling, William C. (1992). What surprised them? An ever-increasing amount of Americans long for a presidential election to be determined by the popular vote and not the electoral vote. Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. Explain that Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clintons 227. Washington: American Should the Electoral College be modified? Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns.
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