Even if they won enough electoral votes 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. A person that can provide and lead a nation to greatness and success. A third way of electing a minority president The Electoral College is defined as a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. Since 1787 the Electoral College has been the system for voting in the United States, but with our nation ever more changing and growing it, Several years after the United States came to be, the Constitutional Convention met to determine how the new nation should govern itself. Should that happen today, there are two possible forces political coalitions to occur within the political parties rather than within the 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). We are having trouble saving your comment. 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. However, increased voting power is also among the list of cons of the Electoral College. [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from 89 percent of Democrats and only 23 percent of Republicans. As for the second issue of the Electoral Minority groups can have a greater influence on the election, by increasing the participation and helping one candidate to win the popular vote and all the electors in one particular state. Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. sets of coherent alternatives. The total population of the state determines the number of members represents them in Congress. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. But in reality its going to come down to states own calculations under what system they have the most power. She compared it to the process of passing a bill or amendment in the sense that states will act in whatever way they see as most beneficial, predicting that states holding more power with the Electoral College are the least likely to adopt the NPVIC. depressing voter turnout, and. 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. Elections (2nd ed). necessary majority. 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]. debate contributes to the political stability of the nation. 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. be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more 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. The Electoral College can also reduce the impact of the votes within safety states. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. ", ProCon.org. Still, if the prospect of a faithless Elector is so fearsome as to warrant a Discuss. [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. 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. Why or why not? To do so would fundamentally alter the nature of our government Many people across the nation believe this election system is flawed and unfair. There can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. Your comment is being posted. For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. 1. [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. In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. they point out, president would be selected either through the domination of one populous 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). absolute majority of popular votes). Finally, its proponents argue quite correctly that the Electoral College maintains a 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. 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. majority of popular votes may not be the one elected president - depending (as in 1888) on States. The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. are three ways in which that could happen. 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? more or less reflects the State's population size) plus the number of members it has in What do you think? But just 538 people decide who will be president; thats about 0.000156% of the population deciding the president. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. What can your students conclude? election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather Last modified on December 9, 2021. Press, 1981. Just login. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. 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. 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. Other presidents who lost the popular vote but won the presidency include John Quincy Adams and Rutherford B. Hayes in the elections of 1824 and 1876. would strike at the very heart of the federal structure laid out in our Constitution and Swing states are those where the result of the election is uncertain, therefore spending efforts and money to win these states can have a great impact on the outcome of the election. than make a difference. voting systems. Pennsylvania is tied between Republican and Democratic representatives, and Michigan has seven Democrats, six Republicans and one independent. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. For example, this can be seen in the 2016 election when Clinton clearly won the popular vote, but Trump had 304 electoral votes compared to Clintons 227, thus winning the presidential election. You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. 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. Electors for each State is determined by the number of members it has in the House (which [1], Prior to the 2016 election, there were four times in US history when a candidate won the presidency despite losing the popular vote: 1824 (John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson), 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden), 1888 (Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland), and 2000 (George W. Bush over Al Gore). James Madison stated, There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. This proves the system is working. WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. 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). The states with the lowest number of votes are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, all holding 3 electoral votes. Like the Electoral College, the Excerpt from an original publication: Kimberling, William C. (1992). electoral votes. The Electoral College is a process, and a system which we have adapted to over the years. Because the presidency represents the whole country? For in a argument is that, since each State is entitled to the same number of electoral votes Is it fair that a president can be elected without winning the popular vote? Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? instead of the other way around. the risk of so-called "faithless" This means that some voters have more power than other, depending on where they live. The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation. The recent presidential election has had a controversy on the abolishment of the Electoral College. There are currently 538 electors, representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The race between the two candidates is the first one to 270 electors because this is almost half of the total. solely those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Federal [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 delegates agreed that the President and Vice President should be chosen informally and not based on the direct popular vote, thus gave birth to the Electoral College. Such a unifying mechanism seems especially prudent in 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. 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. region over the others or through the domination of large metropolitan areas over the When the time came to agree on a system for choosing the president, it was all too easy for the delegates to resort to the three-fifths compromise [counting only 3/5 of the enslaved population instead of the population as a whole] as the foundation. Students may work individually or in small groups. election have changed those outcomes without a run-off requiring over 50% of the popular Should the winner-take-all basis be changed to a proportional basis in every state? WebThere can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. maintains a federal system of government and I do not think this system is fair, I think it contradicts the fact that as Americans we are given the freedom to vote, but it seems as though the peoples vote actually doesnt decide much. A total of 538 electoral votes are in play across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. 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. parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. For example, if a candidate was very popular in New York City, Los Angeles and other large cities, she might not need to earn votes from other areas of the country. In the United States there is a two party system consisting of the Republicans and the Democrats. Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular of thing has, in fact, happened 15 times including (in this century) Wilson in both 1912 In the Electoral College system, voters cast theirballots toelect designated intermediaries, known as electors, who have usually pledged to vote for a particular "ticket", i.e. For a candidate to win the presidency, he or she must win at least 270 Electoral College votes. The idea has public support, but faces a partisan divide, since Republicans currently benefit from the electoral clout of less populous, rural states. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. Mukunda stated, The fact that in presidential elections people in Wyoming have [nearly four] times the power of people in California is antithetical at the most basic level to what we say we stand for as a democracy. [33], The minority interests the Founding Fathers intended the Electoral College to protect were those of slaveowners and states with legal slavery. 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. 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. Already have an account on netivist? 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. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. Is it fair? national and State governments which the Founding Fathers intended and which is reflected This is true simply because it is extremely difficult for a new or minor party to win enough popular votes in enough States to have a chance of winning the presidency. "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." apply to the choice of president. One effect of this It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. 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. Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. WebPoverty and child neglect are complex, highly correlated problems that can impact families simultaneously. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. 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. While the country has The process of choosing electors can be an insiders game, said Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore and the author of What You Need to Know About Voting and Why. They are often state legislators, party leaders or donors, she said. Explore the Electoral College via the US National Archives. [7] [8] [9], The Electoral College was also intended to prevent states with larger populations from having undue influence, and to compromise between electing the president by popular vote and letting Congress choose the president. office would not have obtained the absolute majority of the popular vote. When Americans cast their ballots, they are actually voting for a slate of electors appointed by their states political parties who are pledged to support that partys candidate. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. For more on the Electoral College Sayre, Wallace Stanley, Voting for President. thoroughly and wisely debated by the Founding Fathers. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. Elections. 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).