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). Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz often split about 60% of the GOP vote, which allowed Donald Trump to win early primaries with 35% of the vote. It could encourage voter turnout. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." The National Popular Vote initiative transpired in 2006. mike matarazzo last photo. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors and a majority of 270 electoral votes is mandatory to nominate the President. The Constitution specifically leaves details like how the electoral votes are cast up to the states. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. 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. However that presumably rare exception happened in the 2000 election when Florida could not complete their statewide recount in time for the Electoral College deadline and the Supreme Court forced Florida to use their first vote count without a statewide recount. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. Because a direct election would be, by definition, national and resource allocation would be overwhelmingly dominated by paid television advertising, there would be little impetus for grass-roots activity. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). 48 Vitosha Boulevard, ground floor, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria, Samploon, Inc. 2022. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. 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. 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. Just another site cons of the national popular vote plan . It is not even a liberal or conservative bill. 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. Published: Mar. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Yes. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The National Popular Vote plan is a bill passed by participating state legislatures agreeing that they will cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote. 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. The NPVIC is an agreement among states designed to guarantee election of the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. NPV is grounded in two powers delegated to states by the Constitution: the power to design rules for awarding their electoral votes and the power to enter into interstate Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. In 6 Elections, 2 Near-Misses (2020, 2004) and 2 Second-Place Presidents (2016, 2000) National Popular Vote Has Been Enacted into Law in 16 Jurisdictions with 195 Electoral Votes. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. Currently, 48 of the 50 states follow the winner-take-all rule. 1. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. ThoughtCo, Dec. 16, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047. A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. A Critique of the National Popular Vote October 13, 2008 Policy Analysis No. Constitutional Amendment to Guarantee the Right to Vote for All U.S. Citizens. Mayors, governors, and senators are all elected by a simple majority. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. 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). Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. 1. Then, election officials in all participating states would choose the electors sworn to support thepresidential candidate who received the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. Candidates get one vote for every congressional district they win, and then two votes for winning the state-wide vote. 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 official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. Only Nebraska and Maine do not. The last amendment, the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, was ratified nearly 200 years after it was originally proposed. 9. It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. 3. "The National Popular Vote Plan." 2015. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but 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. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. It happened once, in 1876. Watch out! When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 10 Apr. Make a contribution to support Common Cause today. However, many people believe that a direct popular election is more democratic and fair than the Electoral College. I am confident that when we enter the next phase where the popular vote leans Republican that Republicans will change and be adamant that we should elect the president by direct popular vote and Democrats will be arguing why we should keep the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system. (LogOut/ If this happens many people in the red states will not feel that the change is legitimate even if its legal and technically constitutional. 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 NPV movement seeks to create an unfair and unconstitutional system that diminishes the voting rights of citizens throughout the country and raises the prospect of increased voter fraud and. 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. Either would likely produce an electoral vote count closer to the popular vote. 4. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. 4. In a closely contested direct popular election, every precinct across the country might require close examination, rather than a handful of states or precincts. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. The National Bonus Plan maintains the Electoral College voting system but adds 102 bonus electoral votes to the existing 538 votes. 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. Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. This is a situation that has caused controversy in the election years of of 1800, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016 when the elected president won the Electoral College and the presidency but did not win the popular vote. An electoral college would solve . However, some critics argue that the advantages of a direct popular election including reflecting democratic principals, outweigh the disadvantages. 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. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. Some areas may bend the rules of an election by extending voting hours illegally. The winner-take-all rule is not required by the Constitution and was actually used by only three states in the nation's first presidential election in 1789. Longley, Robert. When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. Instead, it modifies the winner-take-all rule in a way its supporters say would assure that every vote will matter in every state in every presidential election. 13 Early College High School Pros and Cons, 18 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period, 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Leasing a Car, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing, 24 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of a C Corporation, 16 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Mediation, 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gated Community, 17 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups, 17 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds, 19 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Annuities, 17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising. It is not at all clear that it would similarly prosper under the direct election regime being pushed by NPV. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators In the 2020 election California did not certify their votes until Friday, December 11, only 3 days before the Electoral College met on Monday, December, 14. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Under the electoral college, the majority votes of states assign electoral votes to a candidate, which then creates a majority total required for a victory. If some of the 50 states and DC cannot certify their popular votes by the December deadline that could create a constitutional crisis where we would not have all of the state Electoral College votes certified by the time the Electoral College is required to vote according to the Constitution. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). Although moving to a popular vote election would balance the weight of each vote, it would also create more sway in larger population states. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. 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. The election is held every four years on the first Tuesday in November and prior to election day, the two candidates endure state-level primaries, caucuses, debates, and conventions. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. 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 In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. 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. Explains kimberling, william c., and dave leip's . In Maine, both houses of the legislature passed the bill in 2019, but it failed at the final enactment step. 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. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. The National Popular Vote plan does not do away with the Electoral College system, an action that would require a constitutional amendment. 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. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. The pros and cons of the popular vote structure of an election allow for the majority to have their say in who they wish to serve. A switch to the popular vote would eliminate the concept of a battleground state because the issue would be more on issues than states. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? As of December 2020, the bill has been fully adopted predominately by Democratic-majority blue states which delivered the 14 largest vote shares for Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. 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. It awards all the bonus votes to the winner of the popular vote. Under the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system votes in small states, like Wyoming or Delaware count double what votes in large states like California or Texas. It would eliminate superfluous votes. . The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 3. Common Cause The lack of competition and campaigning in a majority of states owes itself not to the existence of the Electoral College's indirect method of choosing presidents but rather to the winner-take-all method of choosing electors in all but two states. 1. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. The senators in the U.S. Senate make up two votes in addition to the votes that represent the number of its members in the U.S. House of Representatives (Archives). But sometime in the future the popular vote will change back and lean Republican. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. National Popular Vote Plan page 3 that non-member states that fail to hold such elections will not be included in the determination of 'the national popular vote winner.' This sidesteps the problem and provides an incentive for all states (non-members as well as members) to (continue to) hold such elections.
Paul Howson Actor, Articles C