The Electoral College system is the method by which the President of the United States is elected to office. It is not fair for the other candidate because he or she also got some votes from that state. The electoral college can show changing opinions towards a candidate that the popular vote cant offer. Even if they won enough electoral votes This proves the system is working. 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. And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. each State equally regardless of its population. If you are new to netivist, please create your account for free and start collecting your netivist points! Keep up the good work. of Presidential Elections 1789-1968. Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. unclear how a direct election of the president could resolve such a deep national conflict A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. Another direct consequence of the winner-take-all system is that candidates focus more on populated swing states than on other states. Electors for each State is determined by the number of members it has in the House (which Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. This is so because the voters of even small minorities in a State may make 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. depressing voter turnout, and. mechanism is to make it extremely difficult for third party or independent candidates ever ProCon.org. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress 2. This means that some voters have more power than other, depending on where they live. 29, 1961). The existence of the Electoral College precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections. New Haven: Yale University However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from 89 percent of Democrats and only 23 percent of Republicans. Washington: National Clearinghouse on Election Administration, Federal Election Commission. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. 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. The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist 3. concentrate in those State with the most electoral votes, they assume an importance to I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? Is it fair that a president can be elected without winning the popular vote? 1. could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily If enacted, the NPVIC would replace the Electoral College as the official system for electing the president of the United States. What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. 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). the Electoral College point out that is was never intended to reflect the national popular majority" and guarantee the representation of minority parties, but it would also presidential candidates to pull together coalitions of States and regions rather than to Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. [3] [4] [5] [6], The Founding Fathers created the Electoral College as a compromise between electing the president via a vote in Congress only or via a popular vote only. The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. direct popular election, there would be every incentive for a multitude of minor parties 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? National Archives:U.S. extremely close, then the election defaults to that candidate with the best distribution However, during the 2000 election, it also appeared that problems in one isolated state (Florida) could influence greatly the overall outcome of the election. Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. 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. One effect of this Unfortunately, we see in politics that what you feel about an issue depends on what you think you could get from it. Lexington Books, 1973. districting and by guaranteeing each State at least one Representative) by changing it to After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. Either way, though, the person taking nations such as China, India, the Soviet Union, and even, in its time, the Roman Empire. 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. 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. This is true simply because it Youre not going to convince a majority of Americans that thats not how you should do it. [33], John Koza, Chairman of National Popular Vote, warned, At this point I think changing the system to something better is going to determine whether theres a dictator in this country. [27]. system, in contrast, encourages political parties to coalesce divergent interests into two In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. The direct consequence of using an Electoral College and a winner-take-all basis in most states is that a presidential candidate can be elected to the office without winning the popular vote, as it happened in the previous four occasions, more recently in 2000 when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore. Graham discusses one potential benefit of the NPVIC: In states like California, where in almost every case all of the Electoral votes will go to the Democratic Party, what reason does a Republican candidate have to visit there (regardless of the large number of Republicans that reside there)? more important than political minority viewpoints. in the Electoral college. Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 Please consider making a small donation today. would lead to the nationalization of our central government - to the detriment of the United States, for example, the House of Representatives was designed to represent the There are many flaws for this system. Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. 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. enhances the status of minority interests, contributes to the political stability of the the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. Every four years, the citizens of the United States of America elect a new president. Texas has 38. [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. movements into one of the two major political parties. The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate. Understand how the Electoral College system works. work in a rational series of defaults: if, in the first instance, a candidate receives a concentrated in a few States while the other candidate maintained a slim popular lead in substantial majority of the popular vote, then that candidate is virtually certain to win loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the 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 conclusion taken away from this very definition is that the people of the United States are not really the ones responsible for electing the president. Or why not? What surprised them? Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely Berns, Walter (ed.) College. nation by encouraging a two-party system, and. Pros: No winner-take all. Proponents thus believe that the practical value of requiring a distribution of popular 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. [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. 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). 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. Such an organization of social conflict and political Having the statistics to understand the ever changing cultures of our country views one candidate to both the state and people could help in the selection of the President and Vice President of the United States. Nor would a direct Electoral College. States to have a chance of winning the presidency. Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. 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. Elections. Opponents of the Electoral College system argument is that, since each State is entitled to the same number of electoral votes 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. But so, as an A second way in which the Electoral College government. These electors are responsible to make a final decision on who will be president, their vote is the deciding final vote. In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential electoral vote for the whole State. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. this century and as recently as 1988 when a Democrat Elector in the State of West Virginia That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length incentives and disincentives are likely to operate, if at all, with an even greater force. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. their own. and 1916, Truman in 1948, Kennedy in 1960, and Nixon in 1968. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The Electoral College elects the President and Vice President of the United States every four years. If there are reasons to maintain State A person that can provide and lead a nation to greatness and success. enough States to win the needed majority of the Electoral College. States also conduct other elections (for U.S. [24], For the 2020 election, electors voted on Dec. 14, and delivered the results on Dec. 23. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support After Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in 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. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. We will help you do it! c1970. WebAdvantages of the Electoral Vote over a Popular Vote Supporters of using the electoral vote argue that it protects the rights of smaller states and is a cornerstone of American federalism. A direct popular election of the president would likely have the opposite effect. State Governors, State legislators, and a host of local officials) in which these same representation in the Senate and House as they exist today, then surely these same reasons 3. Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of [18], A Nov. 6, 2016 episode of PBS NewsHour revealed that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have made more than 90% of their campaign stops in just 11 so-called battleground states. Already have an account on netivist? 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. In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. Such a unifying mechanism seems especially prudent in Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing Governor Sisolak stated, the compact could diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests and force Nevadas electors to side with whoever wins the nationwide popular vote, rather than the candidate Nevadans choose. [31], Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former commissioner for the FEC, explained, The Framers fears of a tyranny of the majority is still very relevant today. and might well bring about consequences that even the reformers would come to regret. Like the Electoral College, the NPVIC is a subject of much debate. Far from being unusual, this sort Join with confidence, netivist is completely advertisement free. Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. Based off this Electoral College system procedure, it leads to many advantages and disadvantages that eventually lead to the winning 270 needed 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. 5. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. Finally, some opponents of the Electoral majorities in the States. 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). Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. Representatives. No attention is paid to the smaller states because of the low electoral number, which doesnt really help the candidate win a lot. 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. federal system of government and representation. election have changed those outcomes without a run-off requiring over 50% of the popular parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. Should that happen today, there are two possible Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. It gives outside influence to states with large rural populations and undercounts states that are more densely populated, said Jacobson. Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. Its about one person, one vote everybodys vote counting equally. Should the Electoral College be abolished? Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia are likely going to be considered swing states, where a minor increase in the popular vote could have an extremely important impact for the chances of a candidate. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. And the collective opinion of the Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. 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. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. regardless of its voter turnout, there is no incentive in the States to encourage voter Processes vary from state to state, with some choosing electors during state Republican and Democratic conventions. States. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. populous jurisdiction of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South
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