NCSL's experts are here to answer your questions and give you unbiased, comprehensive information as soon as you need it on issues facing state legislatures. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Cons of Electoral College. There would be fewer opportunities to illegally alter the results of an election. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? 9. (LogOut/ Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Today, the fact that Nebraska and Maine do not use the winner-take-all system serves as proof that modifying the Electoral College system, as proposed by the National Popular Vote plan is constitutional and does not require a constitutional amendment. 8. The National Popular Vote (NPV) refers to the concept of allocating a state's presidential electors to the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide regardless of the state results in a presidential election. When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. Under the current structure of the electoral college, the focus of a presidential campaign is on the so-called battleground states. Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. All other votes cast for that candidate are therefore superfluous. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. 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 Hence, the National Popular Vote plan is an interstate compact a type of state law authorized by the U.S. Constitution that enables states to enter into a legally enforceable, contractual obligation to undertake agreed joint actions, which may be delayed in implementation until a requisite number of states join in. National Popular Vote will create a single member district (all 50 states and D.C.), where the candidate with the most votes wins and . The NPVC is a proposed interstate compact in which the signatory states agree that they will appoint their presidential electors in accordance with the national popular vote rather than their own state electorate's vote. In the early 19th century, many states ratified an approach that would allow the candidate with the most votes in that state to be the winner. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. Without any sort of broad support, the politics of the country could become even more fractured than they already are. It has been enacted by twelve states, which include Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, and California. Our state will likely vote overwhelmingly for the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November. ThoughtCo. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. 9. It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. Even though we will be able to elect the president by national popular vote using the The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, eventually the rules for how we elect the president should be an official part of the Constitution. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. But if some non-member The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. cons of the national popular vote plan. Image the country thinks it is going to elect the president by National Popular Vote and then changing back to using the old Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system just four months before an election. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. Second, some believe itll intensify election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout (Richards). 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. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights became governing documents in the United States, there have only been 17 amendments made to it. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. National Popular Vote compact pros and cons. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. After the process, the President of the Senate reveals who has officially been voted in as President and Vice President of the United States. Security would be improved across the country. This move would ensure that the Presidency would be given to the candidate that received the most popular votes all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? It was a great idea in 1787 but the country has changed since 1787 and the people today want to elect the president by a simple, direct popular vote where whoever gets the most votes wins like we do in every other election in the country. Once effective, states could withdraw from the compact at any time except during the six-month window between July 20 of an election year and Inauguration Day (January 20). Here are six reasons why legislators should reject this attempt to jettison our electoral system: 1. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? The bill has crossed paths with 36 legislative chambers and has been sponsored or voted for by 3,112 state legislators (National Popular Vote). Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. After the 2016 presidential election, political science expert Nate Silver wrote that, since the swing states are not likely to support any plan that might reduce their influence over control of the White House, the National Popular Vote bill will not succeed unless the predominately Republican red states adopt it. We have seen this outcome in the 2016 Presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and in the 2000 election between George H.W. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. An electoral college would solve . Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. Yes. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less. Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. By continuing well assume youre on board with our, https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Select a writer from a large pool of experts. (2021, Jun 14). The use of the Electoral College has been the only approach the U.S. has used to gain a President, but this way has generated numerous issues. It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. Resource allocation would be focused on paid advertising, which would negate the need for grassroots activities. Would you like to get a custom essay? Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. Because of the Winner-Take-All state laws candidates for president only campaign and spend their money in 12-13 swing states because voters in those few swing states determine who wins the election and presidential candidates totally ignore voters in the rest of the country(except to raise money). This has occurred in 5 of the nation's 56 presidential elections, most recently in 2016. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. Analyzes how william c. kimberling, the deputy director of the federal election commission, is a credible author over the issue. 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 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 Plan." During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. As of now, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Delaware and Oregon. Pros & Cons of a National Popular Vote Buy Complete Issue $19.95 Login or Subscribe The National Popular Vote How would the interstate compact work? That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. That structure makes it easier for extremist views to find official representation. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. 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. This was the intent of the Founding Fathers. In Maine, both houses of the legislature passed the bill in 2019, but it failed at the final enactment step. That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. First it would be relatively easy to implement. A simple change in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could fix the flaw and still provide the benefits of a popular election. The National Popular Vote initiative transpired in 2006. . (LogOut/ The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. If the election is based off a popular vote, each of these areas would need to be closely examined in real-time, which would enhance the security of each vote that is cast. Candidates feel these states need a little bit more of their attention and apply pressure to supply these states with solutions to their problems in order to gain their vote.
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