cons of the national popular vote plan cons of the national popular vote plan

It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. Because of the state Winner-Take-All rules, which arent even part of the Constitution, they can lead to presidential elections where the winner of the election doesnt have the most popular votes. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. 6. Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. This has occurred in only four of the 58 presidential . 4. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 As a result, the bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes. 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 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. 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. tobin james the blend 2017 ; real estate marketing solutions; cons of the national popular vote plan; lassi kefalonia shops cons of the national popular vote plan Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. 10 Apr. 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. It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. For example: States already have the power to award their electors to the winner of the national popular vote, although this would be disadvantageous to the state that did so unless it was joined simultaneously by other states that represent a majority of electoral votes. This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. First it would be relatively easy to implement. 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. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? There are a number of pros for this method. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. 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). The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. It makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. Most recently, the bill was passed by a bipartisan 4016 vote in the Republican-controlled Arizona House, 2818 in Republican-controlled Oklahoma Senate, 574 in Republican-controlled New York Senate, and 3721 in Democratic-controlled Oregon House." Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. Under the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system votes in small states, like Wyoming or Delaware count double what votes in large states like California or Texas. If the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact becomes law it would be an excellent first step to help get a future amendment to the Constitution to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect the president with a national popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. All samples were added by students. 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. Second, some believe itll intensify election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout (Richards). But the national popular vote plan doesn't require a . 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM PST. For the popular vote, however, Hillary Clinton received 65.8 million votes, while Donald Trump received 62.9 million votes. I will explain that in another blog post. It is our national motto and is so for a reason. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. 2015. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. 1. 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. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. The National Popular Vote bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes a majority of the current 538 electoral votes. That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. 4. 6. Would you like to get a custom essay? There are pros and cons to both systems. These battleground or swing states receive 7% more federal grants, twice as many presidential disaster declarations, more Superfund enforcement exemptions, and more No Child Left Behind law exemptions (National Popular Vote). Longley, Robert. Louisiana voters should decide who receives Louisiana's electoral votes. That nightmare may seem like a pleasant dream if NPV has its way. Their vote only counts at the local level, not the national level, because of the electoral votes. what connection type is known as "always on"? For example, if a state used NPV and voted for candidate A, but candidate B received the most votes nationwide, the state would allocate its presidential electors to candidate B. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. According to Article II, Section 1, "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress." Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their votes. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. In summary, a popular vote is simply a vote in which the individual or issue with the most total votes from a population of voters is the winner. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. A Critique of the National Popular Vote October 13, 2008 Policy Analysis No. Cookie Notice A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. June 7, 2022 . 7. Although many supporters of the electoral college argue that a two-party political system is more stable, some critics counter that having more than two parties would give Americans more choice. cons of the national popular vote plan. 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. 9. By continuing well assume youre on board with our, https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Select a writer from a large pool of experts. sale of united methodist church property. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . 5. Start and finish your paper with ease. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. 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. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. It has been enacted by twelve states, which include Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, and California. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the . It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. 1. State Question 820 lays out a statutory framework for a recreational industry that would begin about 90 days after election results are certified. These are the states that may go to either major party candidate in the election. Part of HuffPost Politics. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact collectively apportions votes to the winner of the overall popular vote without a constitutional amendment abolishing the electoral college or the assent of Congress. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less. The plan would not get rid of the Electoral College. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. In 6 Elections, 2 Near-Misses (2020, 2004) and 2 Second-Place Presidents (2016, 2000) National Popular Vote Has Been Enacted into Law in 16 Jurisdictions with 195 Electoral Votes. On average, studies show that falls in line with historical averages showing around 60 percent of eligible voters casting a vote in presidential election years. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. 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. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. On a close popular vote, often defined as a difference of 0.5% or less in the tabulated results, an automatic recount would likely be triggered. Proportional Plan It could help to reduce partisanship. 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. Under the National Popular Vote plan,the compact would take effect only when enabling legislation has been enacted by states collectively possessing a majority of the electoral votes:270 of 538 total. The National Popular Vote stems from the winner-take-all approach that validates the presidential candidate interactions with only 4 out of 50 dates during their campaign. Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? NPV supporters claim, accurately, that a direct election for president would reduce or eliminate the possibility that a fringe candidate (like a Ralph Nader or Ron Paul) winning five percent or less of the vote in a single state could serve to defeat a major party candidate from the same side of the political spectrum. And finally, the Electoral College doesnt work today anywhere near how the Founding Fathers intended it to work when they created it back in 1787. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. 3. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. Image the country thinks it is going to elect the president by National Popular Vote and then changing back to using the old Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system just four months before an election. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. The last amendment, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, was ratified nearly 200 years after it was originally proposed. With the polarization in global politics today, especially in the United States, a switch to the popular vote would likely increase costs even further. The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. Thats how politics works in America. Security would be improved across the country. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. 1. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. If enacted by enough states, the National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. The Electoral College was established in the Constitution to protect minority interests and mitigate the possibility of a regional candidate. Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. Candidates feel these states need a little bit more of their attention and apply pressure to supply these states with solutions to their problems in order to gain their vote. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress (Senators and Representatives) is the total number of electoral votes it is allowed. There would be fewer opportunities to illegally alter the results of an election. Moving to the popular vote structure would eliminate this potential issue. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. 622 By John Samples The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors and a majority of 270 electoral votes is mandatory to nominate the President. Using a popular vote system, candidates could campaign regionally, targeting major areas of support, to secure enough votes to win an election. They have only won the popular vote once. A plan to enact the National Popular Vote was introduced in the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday. Web. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. Here are the essential pros and cons of popular vote elections to examine. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. Mayors, governors, and senators are all elected by a simple majority. Similarly, because a national campaign mandates a national message, there would also be a smaller incentive for coalition-building or taking into account the characteristics, needs and desires of citizens in differing states and regions. Yet, by May 2021, 15 states and Washington, D.C., had signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. However, this also means that regions with a quite low population density will almost have no influence on the election outcome at all since they only have far too few votes to make a real difference. The National Popular Vote Plan. mike matarazzo last photo. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. 2. The pros and cons of the popular vote structure of an election allow for the majority to have their say in who they wish to serve. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. As with other powers entrusted to the states, it is an application, not a circumvention, of the Constitution when the states utilize those powers as they see fit. A shift of a relative handful of votes in one or two states would have elected the second-place candidate in six of the last 12 presidential elections. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). Weve already seen this issue take place with the GOP primaries in 2016. The states would implement this plan once enough states controlling 270 electoral votes have signed on, guaranteeing that the national popular vote winner will win the presidency.. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper.