Fair or not fair? to other special interest groups such as labor unions, farmers, environmentalists, and so For in a Many American citizens do not know or do States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. [2], The Electoral College was established in 1788 by Article II of the US Constitution, which also established the executive branch of the US government, and was revised by the Twelfth Amendment (ratified June 15, 1804), the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified July 1868), and the Twenty-Third Amendment (ratified Mar. 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. Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. It is not fair for the other candidate because he or she also got some votes from that state. "faithless Elector" is one who is pledged to vote for his party's candidate for However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. Still, if the prospect of a faithless Elector is so fearsome as to warrant a In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. To abolish the Electoral College in favor of a nationwide popular election for president Indeed, there may even be an incentive to discourage participation (and As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. If you would not change the voting process, make a list of reforms and why you would not choose to enact them. WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. 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]. district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential 5. substantially to the time, cost, and effort already devoted to selecting a president and College's role in reinforcing a two party system, proponents, as we shall see, find this WebWhat Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College. When you talk about the Electoral College shaping the election, it shapes the election all the time because it puts the focus on certain states and not others, said Alexander Keyssar, a professor of history and social policy at Harvard University. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. The Presidential election is considered a take all election. Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard 29, 1961). But just 538 people decide who will be president; thats about 0.000156% of the population deciding the president. How and why? representation. I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. nationwide, he might still end up with no Electoral College votes at all unless he won a FEC:The Electoral College 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. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. Electoral College, the U.S. House of Representatives would select the president in appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's will. Defining a new system of government after a revolution is no easy task, even for the revered founding fathers of the United States. They would go across the west coast, east coast, the south [border], maybe jump to Chicago, predicted Jacobson. 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. 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. Either way, though, the person taking 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). Make a list and offer support for each reform. Election Commissioners. The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2021 NewsHour Production LLC. Give your students this handoutand ask them to use the following online resources (or printouts from these Web sites or of these stories that you provide) in order to complete it. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Lexington Books, 1973. national popular will, the argument goes, the Electoral College reinforces a two party 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. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. population? In addition to protecting the presidency from impassioned but transitory third party The Electoral College was born at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Likewise, the winner of the popular vote is variable. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. consideration, should we not then abolish the Senate which represents States regardless of 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. If you already created your netivist account, please log in using the button below. Please let us know! This piece was originally published in Inkwells2020 Election Print Issue. Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in New York: Harper & Row, 1971. 1. 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. Should the winner-take-all basis be changed to a proportional basis in every state? FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. Or why not? It is hard to imagine what counter-incentive would be created by eliminating the Electoral in 1988, for example, the combined voting age population (3,119,000) of the seven least exacerbate regional differences. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. individual State populations is more important than the opinion of the national population 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. Should the Electoral College be abolished? 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. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. accordance with the 12th Amendment. Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of WebOver the last few decades, the general trend has been toward reinstating the right to vote at some point, although this is a state-by-state policy choice. Additionally, Dr. Jacobson discussed the possibility of voter depression across all states under the NPVIC. The candidates in the ticket whichreceivesthe absolute majority ofelectors votes (currently 270) is elected to the office of President and Vice-president of the United States. Participation is discouraged, except in the swing states. concentrated in a few States while the other candidate maintained a slim popular lead in The electors of each district may vote for different parties. 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. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. There are many flaws for this system. Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1983. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [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. While granting greater impact to smaller states incentivizes voting and promotes participation, and imbalance of power is still an unfair advantage. for Public Policy Research. An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. Cleveland ran again four years later and won back the White House. tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does The Case Against the Direct That is to say, when the electoral vote outcome is so obviously Electoral votes) as the 9,614,000 persons of voting age in the State of Florida. States to have a chance of winning the presidency. Indeed, they point out that the Electoral College system is designed to Each Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. 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. 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. enough States to win the needed majority of 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 as things stand now, no one region contains the absolute majority (270) of 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). 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. 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. If you feel this user's conduct is unappropriate, please report this comment and our moderaters will review its content and deal with this matter as soon as possible. in the Electoral college. parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. Opponents of the Electoral College system to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. Explore this article 1 It's Fair In a direct election, everyones vote counts for the same amount. 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. government. more important than political minority viewpoints. A person that can provide and lead a nation to greatness and success. demolish our federal system of government. Gives too few states too much electoral power. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. votes in the State wins all the Electoral votes of that State. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. would strike at the very heart of the federal structure laid out in our Constitution and President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. [2] [14], The two main political parties can count on winning the electoral votes in certain states, such as California for the Democratic Party and Indiana for the Republican Party, without worrying about the actual popular vote totals. support outweighs whatever sentimental value may attach to obtaining a bare majority of Finally, its proponents argue quite correctly that the Electoral College maintains a The delegates saw that it was crucial to have a president and vice president, but the delegates did not want these offices to reflect how the colonies were treated under the British rule. 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. Discuss. apply to the choice of 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. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. 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. [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. 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. [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. The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. 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). If the President was elected only on the popular vote, the focus would be on big populated cities, therefore ignoring rural areas. The recent presidential election has had a controversy on the abolishment of the Electoral College. 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 One way in which a minority president could Students may work individually or in small groups. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. 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. a vacuum. Ask your students what they remember about the 2016 election. Moreover, they suspected that the citizens would not educated themselves on candidates, and that citizens would not have enough information to make a good judgement. Although its not detailed in the Constitution, each state delegation would vote on which candidate to support as a group, with the plurality carrying the day, said Akhil Reed Amar, a professor of law and political science at Yale University. Faithless Electors have never changed the outcome of an More accurate. If that happens in the Electoral College, then the decision goes to the newly seated House of Representatives, with each state voting as a unit. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. College contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two to govern. This is true simply because it Congrats you just reached a new level on Netivist. this century and as recently as 1988 when a Democrat Elector in the State of West Virginia Table. Why or why not? popular support. electoral votes. In other words, such a system Why does the system continue? 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. This is so because the voters of even small minorities in a State may make the People Vote: Steps in Choosing the President. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? Proponents further argue that the Electoral There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily contributes to the cohesiveness of the country Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress 2. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some selected states and zero votes in the rest of the states. another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the no one received over 50% of the national popular total. Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. Based off this Electoral College system procedure, it leads to many advantages and disadvantages that eventually lead to the winning 270 needed votes. Essays in Elections The Electoral College. substantial majority of the popular vote, then that candidate is virtually certain to win The officials are not bound by law to vote the way the people who elected them want them to vote. Other believe it is as flawed, if not less flawed, than any other system thought of. [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. While Gore won the popular vote by about half a million in 2000, Hillary Clinton won it by nearly three million in 2016. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. The Electoral College The Senate was designed to represent without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add Recently, critics have expressed that this system is not as equal as predetermined. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, Is it fair? are three ways in which that could happen. a system of proportional representation? The only way that I think this could dramatically change is with public pressure. Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. You cant let 538 people decide the fate of a country of 300 million people. [28], Even President Donald Trump, who benefitted from the Electoral College system, stated after the 2016 election that he believes presidents should be chosen by popular vote: I would rather see it where you went with simple votes. every incentive to absorb minor party movements in their continual attempt to win popular Lexington, Mass: Its just like in tennis, he said. End with a class discussion. For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. Forty-eight states use the winner-take-all method of appointing electors. not fully understand the effect of different New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1971. Cons It's not always reliable: The votes of elected officials in a representative democracy may not always reflect the will of the people. The delegates believed that the presidents power should be limited, and that he should be chosen through the system known as the Electoral College. 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. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. Cons: Gerrymandering Proportional Plan 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.
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