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

Past Event: The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties has announced plans to broadcast a webinar discussing the National Popular Vote (NPV) on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m. National Popular Vote has been leading the campaign to fix the electoral college and elect the president by national popular vote since its founding in 2006 . (See: Electoral Votes by State). It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. It understands that while the nation is one union, it is also an amalgam of varying experiences and perspectives arrived at via the settings and unique problems surrounding those who live in different places, and that these differences fall within the broad rubric of federalism. It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. The National Popular Vote compact would have the same effect as a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College but has the benefit of retaining the power to control presidential elections in states hands. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. It is also true that no president since 1824 has received the votes of a majority of the eligible voters and 18 presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John. The National Popular Vote effort, explained The National Popular Vote effort is now halfway to its goal of electing future presidents via the popular vote, after Rhode Island Gov. A direct popular election would make it more possible for third-party candidates to succeed and would also encourage political parties to become more radical and extreme. National Popular Vote will create a single member district (all 50 states and D.C.), where the candidate with the most votes wins and . In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. Although it is sometimes conjectured that a national popular election would focus only on big cities, it is clear that this would not be the case. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/. Thats the way it has been in this country for a long time. As of July 2020, a National Popular Vote bill has been signed into law in 16 states controlling a total of 196 electoral votes, including 4 small states, 8 medium-sized states, 3 big states (California, Illinois, and New York), and the District of Columbia. Though the original, some would say highly undemocratic, purpose. The bill has crossed paths with 36 legislative chambers and has been sponsored or voted for by 3,112 state legislators (National Popular Vote). The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors and a majority of 270 electoral votes is mandatory to nominate the President. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators Under the electoral college system, if a state consistently pulls as leaning to one party, someone who supports the other party may not vote because they feel like there isnt a need to do so. Imperfect, because its modern-day blessings -- enhancing coalition building, pluralism, federalism and grass-roots participation -- are enjoyed only by a minority of states (in any given presidential election 18 or 20), where the battle for electoral votes is competitive for both major parties. 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. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. The country thinks we are going to elect the president using the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system tans and then four months before the election we change to the National Popular Vote Compact system and elect the president by whoever gets the most popular votes. The National Popular Vote initiative transpired in 2006. Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. Lastly, some Americans believe that there would be an increase in voter turn-out if people felt that their vote was viewed as a significant asset to their country. Retrieved from https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Should the Electoral College Be Abolished, Pros for The Electoral College in the United States, Electoral College is Undemocratic but We Have no Better System, The Electoral College Should Be Terminated, The Electoral College Annotated Bibliography. Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. Watch out! The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. 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. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. A plan to enact the National Popular Vote was introduced in the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday. The National Popular Vote plan would eliminate what critics of the Electoral College system point to as the "winner-take-all" rule - the awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in that state. . 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. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. 2. 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. 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. But in practice it could happen every 10 or 20 years when the Electoral College votes change because the congressional boundaries change with the new population census. 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. According to the Constitution, the Electoral College is a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens (National Archives). In the 2016 election, "swing states" that might vote Republican or Democrat like Wisconsin were targets of candidates Donald J. Trump and Hillary R. Clinton. The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. 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. Inicio; Nota Biografica; Obra; Blogs. cons of the national popular vote plan. Advantage: Encourages Voter Turnout The discussion around using the popular vote for elections has increased since the results of the 2016 election. In the U.S., that means people who lean Democratic live in urban areas, while people who lean Republican live in rural areas. Many people may feel that any major change in how we elect the president should be in the Constitution and not in a legal loop hole even if its legal and technically constitutional. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. For more information, please see our 1. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. The Congressional District method would allocate electoral votes based on the winner of each congressional district. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. Electing a president who did not have broad regional support could lead to a fractured and less cohesive country, according to the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. 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). That means the cost of counting all the votes would be duplicated. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. In theory that could happen every four years. 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 . A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. 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. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. 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. At the moment, 98 more electoral votes are needed to pass this bill in all 50 states (National Conference of State Legislators). Only Nebraska and Maine do not. 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. 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. Security would be improved across the country. If a party knows either that it can't win a single elector in a state or has an easy road to winning all of them, it sends its resources to where it has a competitive chance.. "The National Popular Vote Plan." Washington, DC 20005, Common Cause pays tribute to our leader, our friend, and a lifelong advocate for our democracy, Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Issues, Ensure Fair Districts & Reflective Democracy, Expand Voting Rights & Election Integrity, Promote Free Speech & Accountability in Media, Protect the Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Reforms. First it would be relatively easy to implement. Here are the Cons of the Electoral College 1. List of the Cons of Using the Popular Vote 1. Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. (2021, Jun 14). All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. 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. There are logistical issues that are managed at the local level in each election. Thats a bank of about 14 million potential voters that reliably vote as a majority for Democratic candidates. Hillary Clinton, but won the electoral vote to become the 45thPresident of the United States. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. 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. 2. As the National Popular Vote (NPV) movement steps up its effort to impose a direct election for president, attempting to enlist states with a sufficient number of electors to constitute a majority (268) and to bind them to the winner of the national popular vote, those states considering the proposal might first reflect on the nightmare aftermath Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. Note: Today we are in a phase where the popular vote in presidential elections leans Democratic. 7. 1. However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. 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. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. The principal flaw in the plan is its assumption that under the plan there will still be only two major parties competing for the presidency in 2020. . That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. A popular vote election would bring the presidential election in line with the rest of the election structures. 9. 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 . The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the . But with the NPV Compact a change in party control of just one or two states could restore the old system of electing the president and then four years later it could be changed back. But for those people who feel that changing how we elect the president should only be done by constitutional amendment they will feel that using the NPV Compact will undermine the legitimacy of the process even though its perfectly legal and constitutional. "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. And unlike direct elections, either would provide an incentive for grass-roots activity, coalition building and enhanced citizen participation. Their answer is simple: one in which every citizen's vote is equal to every other citizen's vote and one in which the winner of the presidential popular vote, no matter how small his or her percentage is of those who voted, would be elected. For the popular vote, however, Hillary Clinton received 65.8 million votes, while Donald Trump received 62.9 million votes. Just another site cons of the national popular vote plan . Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? This brings us to 196 of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the pact. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand.