It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. 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). Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. I will explain that in another blog post. Would it aid a fight to eliminate first past the post or would it further entrench the established party system voters American voters have expressed disdain for. June 7, 2022 . Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. The winner would receive one vote per congressional district won with the winner of the state popular vote gaining a two electoral votes. Or states might explore what was recently proposed in Colorado -- that electors be allocated in proportion to each candidate's share of the popular vote above a certain threshold. By adding this new interstate compact to the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect our president we are in fact making this system even more complicated and even harder for the voters to understand. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. Ken Bickers. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. National Popular Vote proponents argue that the United States has had four presidential elections in which the plurality winner of the popular vote was not chosen as president. OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahomans will head to the polls March 7 to decide if the state will become the 22nd in the country to legalize recreational marijuana for use by anyone 21 and older. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. Advantage: Encourages Voter Turnout Here are the Cons of the Electoral College 1. This divide creates natural divisions between groups of people who both support their country, but in different ways. Presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, or campaign in states that they cannot possibly win or lose; in 2016, 68% of presidential campaign visits took place in just six states. Resource allocation would be focused on paid advertising, which would negate the need for grassroots activities. Maryland and New Jersey passed this bill in 2007, Hawaii and Illinois in 2008, Washington in 2009, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia in 2010, California and Vermont in 2011, Rhode Island in 2013, New York in 2014 and Connecticut in 2018. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. But the biggest problem with changing how we elect our president using the NPV Compact is that its too easy to change it back. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. This move would ensure that the Presidency would be given to the candidate that received the most popular votes all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (2021, Jun 14). The National Popular Vote plan does not do away with the Electoral College system, an action that would require a constitutional amendment. If the National Popular Vote bill was secured within the American government, it would protect every vote and would allow those votes to equally matter in the presidential election. It would be a national mandate to put someone in office, even if that winning candidate received less than 50% of the vote. National Popular Vote is a constitutional and practical way to implement nationwide popular election of the President a goal traditionally supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. It would eliminate superfluous votes. E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. Only Nebraska and Maine do not. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. Once effective, states could withdraw from the compact at any time except during the six-month window between July 20 of an election year and Inauguration Day (January 20). NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. Hillary Clinton, but won the electoral vote to become the 45thPresident of the United States. 2. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Definition and Examples, How Political Party Convention Delegates are Chosen, What Is a Caucus? Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. Because a direct election would be, by definition, national and resource allocation would be overwhelmingly dominated by paid television advertising, there would be little impetus for grass-roots activity. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. As of December 2020, the National Popular Vote bill has been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, controlling 196 electoral votes: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. 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. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? That means a candidate who receives a majority of their votes in a high-delegate state, such as California, could make a dramatic impact on the rest of the election. How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/. What would happen during a switch to the popular vote would be unknown. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. District Plan CONS Technically still possible, but A LOT hard to do so District 1 = Romney 57% District 2 = Romney 52% District 3 = Romney 70% Gerrymandering. Once enacted, the participating states would cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote, thus ensuring that candidate the required 270 electoral votes. The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election (Archives). The NPV is a multi-state agreement that, when active, would ensure that the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote nationally also wins in the Electoral College. 4. In 2004, for example, candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry campaigned heavily in states such as Nevada while ignoring political issues in New York, a state that Kerry was sure to win, according to the University of the Pacific. As a result, an agreement between a group of states to cast all of their electoral votes in a similar manner, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan passes constitutional muster. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. These are the states that may go to either major party candidate in the election. ThoughtCo. For more information, please see our A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. "The National Popular Vote Plan." The issue raised by the National Popular Vote campaign is fundamental: What kind of a democracy should America be? 7. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. If the election is based off a popular vote, each of these areas would need to be closely examined in real-time, which would enhance the security of each vote that is cast. a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the . Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. The election is held every four years on the first Tuesday in November and prior to election day, the two candidates endure state-level primaries, caucuses, debates, and conventions. Less would get done, which would affect the needs of households at the local level. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. 5. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 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). Con:not Eliminate possibility that loser of the popular vote can still win the electoral vote The Proportional Plan A proposed reform where each presidential candidate would receive the percent of electoral votes that they win from each state Proportional Plan Pro:Possible for loser of popular vote to win presidency. Each states electoral votes are tallied by Congress in the House chamber by House and Senate representatives on the 6th day of January following the Presidential election. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. Feb 25, 2023. If the presidential election were switched to the popular vote, then it would only take about 35% of the vote for a candidate to win. 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. Under the electoral college system (and other voting systems not based on popular voting), it only takes one extra vote more than the other candidate to create the needed results for the election. 3. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. 1. As of December 2020, the bill has been fully adopted predominately by Democratic-majority blue states which delivered the 14 largest vote shares for Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election It happened once, in 1876. Activating the National Popular Vote compact would reshape our . The National Bonus Plan maintains the Electoral College voting system but adds 102 bonus electoral votes to the existing 538 votes. The popular vote eliminates this issue too. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. Around six-in-ten U.S. adults (63%) say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency, while 35% favor keeping the current Electoral College system, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 27-July 4, 2022. Unless the national popular vote was very close, or there were all lot of recounts outstanding, the Compact states in most cases would effectively know what the outcome would be and could be prepared to certify their state votes very quickly to make the Electoral College meeting date deadline. Here is the entire text of the proposed "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." Tweet Email this More on The Electoral College: Honorable Steve Cohen The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz often split about 60% of the GOP vote, which allowed Donald Trump to win early primaries with 35% of the vote. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer If that was to take place, America could potentially face the same issues it is facing now. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. The years-old effort is slowly making its way through state legislatures in hopes of changing the way There are a number of pros for this method. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. Longley, Robert. Voters in spectator states, including five of the nations 10 most populous states (California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey), and 12 of the 13 least populous states (all but New Hampshire) have no real incentive to go to the polls as their votes do not affect the outcome of the election. Hence, the National Popular Vote plan is an interstate compact a type of state law authorized by the U.S. Constitution that enables states to enter into a legally enforceable, contractual obligation to undertake agreed joint actions, which may be delayed in implementation until a requisite number of states join in. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. Lastly, it may cause a third-party candidate to prevail and win, which would allow Americans to be given more choices besides the two primary parties (Richards). It would reduce diversity in the election structures. National Popular Vote (NPV) was founded in 2006 by lottery scratch-card inventor John Koza and election lawyer Barry Fadem to lobby for an "interstate compact" for states to deliver their electoral votes for President to the "winner" of the national popular vote. The NPVC is a proposed interstate compact in which the signatory states agree that they will appoint their presidential electors in accordance with the national popular vote rather than their own state electorate's vote. It would reduce the threshold necessary to win the office. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. Then, election officials in all participating states would choose the electors sworn to support thepresidential candidate who received the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their electoral votes to whichever presidential ticket wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. For under its plan, the next time the U.S. has very close national vote, a recount would not be of six million votes in one state but of more than 130 million votes in all states and the District of Columbia, all with their own rules for conducting a recount. When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Today the Democrats want to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system with a direct popular vote and the Republicans adamantly want to keep it. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. Because its so hard to get an amendment to the Constitution passed that means that once it becomes law it will probably remain so for a long time because the bar to change it back is so high. Thats a bank of about 14 million potential voters that reliably vote as a majority for Democratic candidates. It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. The National Popular Vote Bill is a bill for Americans interested in both preserving our Electoral College and reforming the shortcomings of our current "winner-take-all" system that awards all the electors of one state to the candidate who wins in that particular state and . Under the electoral college, the majority votes of states assign electoral votes to a candidate, which then creates a majority total required for a victory.