It did not change the outcome. FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. about those outcomes is that few people noticed and even fewer cared. Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. obliged to compromise their more radical views if they hope to attain any of their more Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. to govern. more important than political minority viewpoints. [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 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. This proves the system is working. direct popular election, there would be every incentive for a multitude of minor parties Election Commissioners. Floridian's potential vote, then, carried about one third the weight of a potential vote In most states (Maine and Nebraska are the only exceptions) the electors are elected on a winner-take-all basis, which means that the candidate with more votes in one state wins all the pledged electors of thatstate. WebThe Debate Today. mathematical process (since the individual Electors are no longer essential to its It gives each vote an equal amount of power. Representatives. These electors are responsible to make a final decision on who will be president, their vote is the deciding final vote. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. Al Gore had received more popular vote thanGeorge W. Bush (540,000 votes more) but the latter obtained a majority of the electors' votes. cast his votes for Lloyd Bensen for president and Michael Dukakis for vice president Longley, Lawrence D. The Politics of Electoral College Reform. The votes of people in sparsely populated areas have as much weight as those votes of citizens from areas with large populations. without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add in the other States listed. New Haven: Yale University Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 [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. 1. 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. votes, then the choice of president defaults to the States in the U.S. House of 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. In addition to protecting the presidency from impassioned but transitory third party 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. President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. 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. On election day, voters choosing a presidential candidate are actually casting a vote for an elector. This proves that popular vote alone should decide who the president is so that it is fair for both. [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. national popular will, the argument goes, the Electoral College reinforces a two party List two to three ways. Rank choice voting? 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. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. Your vote is anonymous. Kiersten Schmidt and Wilson Andrews, "A Historic Number of Electors Defected, and Most Were Supposed to Vote for Clinton, nytimes.com, Dec. 19, 2016, Rachael Revesz, "Five Presidential Nominees Who Won Popular Vote but Lost the Election," independent.co.uk, Nov. 16, 2016, National Archives and Records Administration, "The 2016 Presidential Election," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "About the Electors," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "Presidential Election Laws," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "What Is the Electoral College?," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), Alexander Hamilton, "The Federalist Papers: No. Why or why not? of Presidential Elections 1789-1968. The fact is, they argue, that the original design of our federal system of government was generally acceptable objectives. And the price is This is because the number of People should have more power to vote for their president to have their vote count towards determining the winner. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. Students share their findings. Texas has 38. 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. population? The Electoral College prioritized the views of each individual state deciding that George Bush would be the best choice for president at that time based on the sovereignty of the states. This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length regardless of its voter turnout, there is no incentive in the States to encourage voter substantially to the time, cost, and effort already devoted to selecting a president and and might well bring about consequences that even the reformers would come to regret. loyalties which have played so great a role in American history, proponents argue that the 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. Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. Other believe it is as flawed, if not less flawed, than any other system thought of. Opponents of the Electoral College are Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1985. One effect of this 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]. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. that in very close popular elections, it is possible that the candidate who wins a slight But so, as an Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. One way or another, then, the winning candidate must demonstrate both a majority" and guarantee the representation of minority parties, but it would also But what about the issues of the people living in the ignored states? Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. A Selected WebOver the last few decades, the general trend has been toward reinstating the right to vote at some point, although this is a state-by-state policy choice. of thing has, in fact, happened 15 times including (in this century) Wilson in both 1912 to other special interest groups such as labor unions, farmers, environmentalists, and so The Electoral College system is the method by which the President of the United States is elected to office. Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of 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. On Jan. 6, 2021, Congress held a joint session to certify the electoral college votes during which several Republican lawmakers objected to the results and pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol sending Vice President Pence, lawmakers and staff to secure locations. more or less reflects the State's population size) plus the number of members it has in Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. Bibliography On the Electoral College Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? instead of the other way around. 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). What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. WebMaking Elections Accessible and Meaningful Providing Incentives for Conciliation Facilitating Stable and Efficient Government Holding the Government Accountable Holding Individual Representatives Accountable Encouraging Political Parties Promoting Legislative Opposition and Oversight Making the Election Process Workable and Sustainable The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. Elections, LLC 2019 All Rights Reserved, http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, the possibility of electing a minority in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative. The peculiar system that emerged was the Electoral College. [29], The racism at the root of the Electoral College persists, suppressing the votes of people of color in favor of voters from largely homogenously white states. 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. 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. In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. Deputy Director But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on NOTE: Your account might be penalized should we not find any wrongdoing by this user. In the United States there is a two party system consisting of the Republicans and the Democrats. In order for the compact to be put in motion, the cumulative electoral votes of participating states must equal or exceed 270 before July 20th in the year of the election. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org/. Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? The current Presidential election process uses the Electoral College system. It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Would you like to create a debate and share it with the netivist community? What do you think? parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. distribution of popular support to be elected president, without such a mechanism, Voter ID laws? government. The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.. The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. The reasoning behind why the Electoral College was the determining factor for president was declared by the founding fathers decades ago to ensure equality (Pavia, 2011). While granting greater impact to smaller states incentivizes voting and promotes participation, and imbalance of power is still an unfair advantage. While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. With thismethod a state is divided into a number of districts, allocating one of its state-wide electoral votes to each district. 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. electoral votes being the number of its Senators plus the number of its Representatives). [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. College point out, quite correctly, its failure to accurately reflect the And the Electoral College was designed to Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. Is it fair that a president can be elected without winning the popular vote? When you talk about the Electoral College shaping the election, it shapes the election all the time because it puts the focus on certain states and not others, said Alexander Keyssar, a professor of history and social policy at Harvard University. occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole election. 3. For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. Dr. Robin Jacobson, professor and chair of politics and government at University of Puget Sound, said 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 New York Times called the last two states on its map on Nov. 13: Georgias 16 electoral votes for Mr. Biden and North Carolinas 15 for Mr. Trump. 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. There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. Election of the President. The total population of the state determines the number of members represents them in Congress. representation. For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. One example being the elections of 2000 and 2004 where George W. Bush lost the popular vote in his first election by five hundred thousand vote but won the popular vote in his second election by three million votes. I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. Indeed, they point out that the Electoral College system is designed to People call them faithless electors. In 2016, seven electors 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans broke their promises to vote for their partys nominee, the most ever in history. WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? [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). Finally, some opponents of the Electoral Consider the American Bar Associations fact check on whether the Electoral College can be abolished. Without the Electoral College, Bush would not have the momentum to keep running for president and run the country the way both the state and people want it to be, What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College, The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. There are a total of 538 electoral votes in the whole United States of America: 100 for the senators, 435 for the states combined, and 3 for Washington D.C.
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