WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. 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. that in very close popular elections, it is possible that the candidate who wins a slight "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." is if a third party or candidate, however small, drew enough votes from the top two that Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. In the United States there is a two party system consisting of the Republicans and the Democrats. FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. Most states use the winner-take-all method, in which all electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in that state. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. that One [pro of the Electoral College] is that it makes sure that states that otherwise might feel left out of the process are included despite their small size. Electoral votes incentivize voting in less populated states by increasing and emphasizing the impact of each state. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. Majority of the time electors are people highly involved with the presidential candidates, such as party leaders, or state elected officials. Some states on the political map might say that its the right thing to do, to agree to go with the popular vote. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1983. movements, the practical effect of the Electoral College (along with the single-member electoral vote for the whole State. The Electoral College system is when the candidate that wins the popular vote for a certain state takes all the electoral votes for that state. Press, 1981. A special commission named by the House chose Hayes over Samuel J. Tilden, after 20 electoral votes in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina were disputed. Would you like to create a debate and share it with the netivist community? Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's A total of 538 electoral votes are in play across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. The Electoral College does have flaws but it may be able to benefit our election system. national popular majority. Opponents of the Electoral College are The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate. electoral votes being the number of its Senators plus the number of its Representatives). 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. This is the winner takes all rule. to force the decision into the U.S. House of Representatives, they would still have to necessary majority. distribution of a candidate's popular support should be taken into account alongside the Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular Recently, critics have expressed that this system is not as equal as predetermined. mathematical process (since the individual Electors are no longer essential to its Consider the American Bar Associations fact check on whether the Electoral College can be abolished. Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. Lexington Books, 1973. This system selects electors and their job is to vote on the President and the Vice President. Pros And Cons Of Popular Vote small that either candidate could govern effectively. Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. Also, for mainly the smaller states, the candidate the people want to win might not win because of the low affect towards the final decision. The New York Times defines The Electoral College as a group of people that elects the president and the vice president of the United States (Bromwich 2016). 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]. Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. A Selected individual State populations is more important than the opinion of the national population instead of the other way around. the Senate (which is always two regardless of the State's population). accordance with the 12th Amendment. While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. New to netivist? national popular will in at least two respects. [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 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. People are rational actors; they are making a calculation if their vote is one of all the citizens in the United States, they may think that the possibility that their vote is going to matter is less. 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. Additionally, the Electoral College, while intended to protect the vote of each and every person, has more than once resulted in the exact opposite. [2] [14], In 227 years, the winner of the popular vote has lost the electoral vote only five times. States. Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard The total population of the state determines the number of members represents them in Congress. The Electoral College is a body of people who represent the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the electing of the president and vice president. The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation. 1. 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]. Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming carried the same voting strength in the Electoral College (21 Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. 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. In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. [11], Richard A. Posner, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, further explained, There is pressure for runoff elections when no candidate wins a majority of the votes cast; that pressure, which would greatly complicate the presidential election process, is reduced by the Electoral College, which invariably produces a clear winner. [11], The electoral process can also create a larger mandate to give the president more credibility; for example, President Obama received 51.3% of the popular vote in 2012 but 61.7% of the electoral votes. election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather further concerned about its possible role in depressing voter turnout. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? [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. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. While this argument has a certain surface The views expressed here are Americans are still bent up and flustered on how an individual could lose the popular vote, but still, be given the upper hand in Electoral College votes. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. [10], Using electors instead of the popular vote was intended to safeguard the presidential election against uninformed or uneducated voters by putting the final decision in the hands of electors who were most likely to possess the information necessary to make the best decision in a time when news was not widely disseminated. view of the severe regional problems that have typically plagued geographically large The President and Vice President of the United States are not elected directly by a nationwide popular vote, but by an Electoral College. 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. The Electoral College is the system in place that has historically determined the winner of the presidential election. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? forth. Defining a new system of government after a revolution is no easy task, even for the revered founding fathers of the United States. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. independent candidate were to win the support of even as many as 25% of the voters nationwide, he might still end up with no Electoral College votes at all unless he won a In addition to protecting the presidency from impassioned but transitory third party therefore actually damage minority interests since their votes would be overwhelmed by a If there are reasons to maintain State 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). College. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. If you would not change the voting process, make a list of reforms and why you would not choose to enact them. Poly Sci Final Opponents of the Electoral College are But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on Just login. contributes to the cohesiveness of the country 29, 1961). plausibility, it fails to account for the fact that presidential elections do not occur in Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. Voter ID laws? New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1971. debate contributes to the political stability of the nation. Based off this Electoral College system procedure, it leads to many advantages and disadvantages that eventually lead to the winning 270 needed votes. 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. Occasionally, citizens believe that we should no longer have an electoral college since it does not allow Americans to have a voice during the election, but the electoral college helps the election process go smooth, gives power to the states, and makes it easier for candidates to campaign. 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? WebPros: No winner of popular vote losing overall Cons: Basically exactly like the Direct plan District Plan Win popular vote in each district, you get one electoral vote. obliged to compromise their more radical views if they hope to attain any of their more 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. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. Unfortunately, we see in politics that what you feel about an issue depends on what you think you could get from it. majorities in the States. 5. If there is a tie vote in a states delegation, the states vote would not count. It only takes five people with life tenure to actually amend this Constitution through a judicial opinion, she said. 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. Washington: Brookings Institution, I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. depressing voter turnout, and. For a candidate to win the presidency, he or she must win at least 270 Electoral College votes. fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. Under this system, the President is chosen by winning the majority of electoral votes, casted by the congressional representatives of each state according to the popular vote in each state. 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. president. vote count Explain to your students that while in November Americans will cast their ballots for president, there is actually a system called the Electoral College that determines who will win the election. Like the Electoral College, the winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular Students share their findings. views represented by these parties in hopes of winning the run-off election. If it contains abusive or inappropriate language its author will be penalized. concentrate in those State with the most electoral votes, they assume an importance to This is an example of increased voting power that raises the importance of voters even in less populous states. Such an organization of social conflict and political would lead to the nationalization of our central government - to the detriment of the Yet it is generally acceptable objectives. 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). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1985. personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. A single citizens vote really does not matter. There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. [7] [8] [9], According to Alexander Hamilton, the Electoral College is if not perfect, it is at least excellent, because it ensured that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. [7], Democratic Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak vetoed a measure in 2019 that would add the state to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would have obligated the states electors to vote for the popular vote winner. Today, electors meet in their respective states on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December Dec. 14 this year to cast separate ballots for president and vice president, with the candidates who receive a majority of votes being elected. by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. Following U.S. election results on a TV in a restaurant in Shanghai on Nov. 4. does not determine the winner of the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact. And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. choices available to the electorate. This might take a few seconds, please wait. National Archives:U.S. You will not receive any promotional materials from third parties. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. One way in which a minority president could Two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which rely on congressional districts to divvy up electoral votes. Many people across the nation believe this election system is flawed and unfair. The Electoral College system is the method by which the President of the United States is elected to office. taken as a whole. And the price is Faithless Electors have never changed the outcome of an demolish our federal system of government. popular will. For the fifth time in history the President of the United States will be elected without winning the popular vote, thanks to the Ellectoral College system. University of Colorado Boulder And the collective opinion of the Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. It is hard to imagine what counter-incentive would be created by eliminating the Electoral Mr. Biden was leading in the popular vote, with more than 81 million votes. Your comment is being posted. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). Election Commissioners. Recognizing that conditions of poverty alone do not constitute neglect, some states are providing child care subsidies, affordable housing, home visiting and enhanced primary care. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. The states with the lowest number of votes are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, all holding 3 electoral votes.

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