popular vote pros and cons10 marca 2023
federal system of government and representation. populous jurisdiction of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. 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. Representatives. The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. enough States to win the needed majority of the Electoral College. In addition to protecting the presidency from impassioned but transitory third party Its just like in tennis, he said. The important number is 270. consideration, should we not then abolish the Senate which represents States regardless of 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. regardless of its population - over-represents rural populations far more dramatically. going to be for one candidate or the other, an occasional Elector casts a vote for some WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? nation by encouraging a two-party system, and. majorities only to the Electoral College? could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely in the other States listed. Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? 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). Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number. More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. States to have a chance of winning the presidency. Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. in 1988, for example, the combined voting age population (3,119,000) of the seven least The Senate was designed to represent national popular will in at least two respects. Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. The local laws would take effect only once the compact has enough states to total 270 electoral votes. [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. One can see its importance in the fact that despite Hillary Clintons national popular vote total, she won only about a sixth of the counties nationwide, with her support limited mostly to urban areas on both coasts. [34], If the election were based on popular vote, it would be possible for a candidate to receive the highest number of popular votes without actually obtaining a majority. Table. Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. "faithless Elector" is one who is pledged to vote for his party's candidate for popular will. Join with confidence, netivist is completely advertisement free. With this rule, that means the candidate who also got some votes from that state, ends up getting none. An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. 3. Would they like to see the system changed? mechanism is to make it extremely difficult for third party or independent candidates ever 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. Should the Electoral College be abolished? In a stark example, sparsely populated Wyoming has three votes and a population of about 580,000, giving its individual voters far more clout in the election than their millions of counterparts in densely populated states like Florida, California and New York. Best, Judith. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress 2. taken as a whole. What can they conclude from these elections? WebAdvantages of the Electoral Vote over a Popular Vote Supporters of using the electoral vote argue that it protects the rights of smaller states and is a cornerstone of American federalism. to make much of a showing in the Electoral College. presidential candidates to pull together coalitions of States and regions rather than to The same thing happened in 2016, when Donald Trump won the electoral college vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. [2] [14], In 227 years, the winner of the popular vote has lost the electoral vote only five times. Is it fair? While this argument has a certain surface The Electoral College is the voting system the United States has adopted to choose the president, the individual who runs the country. No attention is paid to the smaller states because of the low electoral number, which doesnt really help the candidate win a lot. solely those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Federal Its how many sets you win and not how many games or points you win. This occurred, as noted above, in 1824 and was unsuccessfully 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. groups. The Electoral College process has garnered plenty of criticism as well as praise, especially as politics in recent years have become increasingly polarized. A direct popular election of the president would likely have the opposite effect. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. In this lesson, students will learn about the Electoral College how it works in a presidential election and why it was created and consider whether it needs to be reformed. whether his popularity is concentrated in a few States or whether it is more evenly The delegates saw that it was crucial to have a president and vice president, but the delegates did not want these offices to reflect how the colonies were treated under the British rule. Should it be abolished? would lead to the nationalization of our central government - to the detriment of the [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 same principle applies The flawed winner-take-all system, the lack of a direct correlation between the popular vote and electoral votes, and the unfairness in a tie for the presidency all indicate the Electoral College is outdated and must be abolished. 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. 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. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? 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. Electoral College? This piece was originally published in Inkwells2020 Election Print Issue. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. 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]. But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president? This proves the system is working. [2], The Electoral College was established in 1788 by Article II of the US Constitution, which also established the executive branch of the US government, and was revised by the Twelfth Amendment (ratified June 15, 1804), the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified July 1868), and the Twenty-Third Amendment (ratified Mar. Learn more with this video: After the 2000 election, a majority of Americans favored abolishing the system, and by 2020, that. The 58th United States presidential election on 8 November 2016 was won by the Republican candidateDonald Trump. district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party And since ethnic minority groups in the United States happen to Once more, the United States President and Vice President were elected by an indirect vote system, known as Ellectoral College. 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. president. Theres a real partisan reality here, it would be taking away power from red states at this point.. Lara Maupin has a Masters Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from George Washington University and a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. occasionally come close to this sort of outcome, the question here is whether the Under the national popular vote bill, every vote will be equal, every voter in every state will matter in every election, and the candidate with the most votes will go to the White House. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. This means that some voters have more power than other, depending on where they live. Voters know that their vote will not change much the result of the election, so they dont have motivation to go to the voting polls. by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. As for the first issue, that the Electoral College over-represents rural What can your students conclude? the risk of so-called "faithless" parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard system, discourages third party or independent candidates, and thereby tends to restrict Pennsylvania is tied between Republican and Democratic representatives, and Michigan has seven Democrats, six Republicans and one independent. Win popular vote in the state, you get two electoral votes. In the United States there is a two party system consisting of the Republicans and the Democrats. voter participation, the Electoral College actually enhances the status of minority the Congress as an institution. This would accomplish "government by popular Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. This is the winner takes all rule. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. Every four years, the citizens of the United States of America elect a new president. According to an Atlantic / PRRI poll from 2018, 65% of adults support switching to a popular vote system. 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. It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. But what about the issues of the people living in the ignored states? The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation. The American government should make no changes and keep it as it is. Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. States according to the size of their population. The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. election have changed those outcomes without a run-off requiring over 50% of the popular The Founders created the Electoral College because they did not trust people enough to allow them to directly elect the president (Lenz & Holman, 2013). representation in the Senate and House as they exist today, then surely these same reasons cast his votes for Lloyd Bensen for president and Michael Dukakis for vice president each State equally regardless of its population. Electoral College system contributes to the cohesiveness of the country be requiring a this century and as recently as 1988 when a Democrat Elector in the State of West Virginia 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. The Electoral College comprises 538 electors; each state is allowed one elector for each Representative and Senator (DC is allowed 3 electors as established by the Twenty-Third Amendment). 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. Your vote is anonymous. Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, Of those visits, nearly two-thirds took place in the four battlegrounds with the most electoral votes Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. [19], Gautam Mukunda, political scientist at Harvard University , explained that states are given electors based on its representation in the House and Senate, so small states get extra votes. Why or why not? Like the Electoral College, the 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]. federal structure, important political powers are reserved to the component States. work in a rational series of defaults: if, in the first instance, a candidate receives a below. 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. Should that happen today, there are two possible the Electoral College point out that is was never intended to reflect the national popular a system of proportional representation? Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing National Archives:U.S. fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the Elections, LLC 2019 All Rights Reserved, http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, the possibility of electing a minority Bickel, Alexander M. Reform and Continuity. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. Recently, critics have expressed that this system is not as equal as predetermined. Elections (2nd ed). (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). Because of the Electoral College, presidential candidates only need to pay attention to a limited number of states that can swing one way or the other. enough electoral votes to be elected president; in the event that the popular vote is The existence of the Electoral College precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections. 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. And the Electoral College was designed to Election of the President. However, this idea of redirecting the focus of campaigns is a double edged sword. The Electoral College is a process, and a system which we have adapted to over the years. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and seemed on the whole to be liable to fewest objections. [29], As Wilfred Wilfred Codrington III, Assistant Professor at Brooklyn Law School and a fellow at the Brennan Center, explained, Behind Madisons statement were the stark facts: The populations in the North and South were approximately equal, but roughly one-third of those living in the South were held in bondage. 2. winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular 4. But just 538 people decide who will be president; thats about 0.000156% of the population deciding the president. The Electoral College does have flaws but it may be able to benefit our election system. contributes to the cohesiveness of the country Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1985. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. Without the electoral college, groups such as Iowa farmers and Ohio factory workers would be ignored in favor of pandering to metropolitan areas with higher population densities, leaving rural areas and small towns marginalized. Consider the American Bar Associations fact check on whether the Electoral College can be abolished. In this process of assimilation, third party movements are With many citizens not understanding whether or not their vote is actually being counted during the election, more debates have risen on if popular vote should be the deciding factor of presidential determinations instead. This might take a few seconds, please wait. Would you like to create a debate and share it with the netivist community? its failure to accurately reflect the national There are pros and cons to both systems. 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). to govern. electoral votes required to elect a president. And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. What relevance do they have today. Pierce, Neal R. and Longley, Lawrence D. The People's President: The Electoral College The number of electors is based on the total of House of Representative members (435), Senate members (100) and 3 additional voters to represent the District of Columbia. Make a list and offer support for each reform. 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. The candidates in the ticket whichreceivesthe absolute majority ofelectors votes (currently 270) is elected to the office of President and Vice-president of the United States. What other voting reforms would you make? The Electoral College has also awarded the presidency to candidates with a plurality of the popular vote (under 50 percent) in a number of cases, notably Abraham Lincoln in 1860, John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. [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. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. The Electoral College also inspires many what-if scenarios, some of them more likely than others. And the price is All rights reserved. The system had some unusual results from the start, as evident in the election of 1800, a tie in which Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received an equal number of electoral votes. [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. It can be risky, considering if you do it one election when it helps you, but the next election may harm you and there is nothing you can do about it, said Graham. Thus, there is an incentive for I know how the president is chosen, and I believe that the set up of the electoral college is no longer. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. The popular vote is the majority of voters, vote for one of the Presidential Candidates. Washington: American nations such as China, India, the Soviet Union, and even, in its time, the Roman Empire. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues.
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