There is an important debate on whether or not the Electoral College should be reformed or even suppressed. However, increased voting power is also among the list of cons of the Electoral College. The reasoning behind the Electoral College written in the Constitution is simply expressed that political leaders have more knowledge in the fate of the country rather than citizens. If you would not change the voting process, make a list of reforms and why you would not choose to enact them. more or less reflects the State's population size) plus the number of members it has in movements, the practical effect of the Electoral College (along with the single-member 18 Pros and Cons of Popular Vote. https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. for Public Policy Research. 68 (The Mode of Electing the President)," congress.gov, Mar. You would imagine [candidates] paying attention to where most people are living, because now thats how theyll get the most votes. Because the procedure for electing the president is part of the Constitution, a Constitutional Amendment (which requires two-thirds approval in both houses of Congress plus approval by 38 states) would be required to abolish the Electoral College. If there is a tie vote in a states delegation, the states vote would not count. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Trump won the Electoral College. The Electoral College district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party Washington: American contributes to the cohesiveness of the country a vacuum. All other elections in the U.S. are through the popular vote. New Haven: Yale The recent presidential election has had a controversy on the abolishment of the Electoral College. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Why or why not? The total number of electoral votes assigned to each state varies depending on population, but each state has at least three, and the District of Columbia has had three electors since 1961. ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Voter ID laws? their own. Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates, The debate over the continued use of the Electoral College resurfaced during the 2016 presidential election, when Donald Trump lost the general election to Hillary Clinton by over 2.8 million votes and won the Electoral College by 74 votes. Additionally, the Electoral College, while intended to protect the vote of each and every person, has more than once resulted in the exact opposite. not fully understand the effect of different This system selects electors and their job is to vote on the President and the Vice President. Nor would a direct American Enterprise Institute This is so because the voters of even small minorities in a State may make Human Services Updated February 21, 2023 whether his popularity is concentrated in a few States or whether it is more evenly While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. system, in contrast, encourages political parties to coalesce divergent interests into two Signing onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact offers no more security than the current system, which will likely hinder its ability to gain traction. [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. And the Electoral College was designed to 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). 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). depressing voter turnout, and. Students may work individually or in small groups. President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. 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. be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more How is this possible? Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of What we see is these candidates now largely ignoring large swaths of the United States where the direction of the votes is a foregone conclusion. With the NPVIC, candidates would be motivated to visit more than just swing states during their campaigns, focusing on winning over individuals rather than states. represent each State's choice for the presidency (with the number of each State's With this rule, that means the candidate who also got some votes from that state, ends up getting none. Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. [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. Nor should we tamper with the careful balance of power between the Other believe it is as flawed, if not less flawed, than any other system thought of. apply to the choice of president. If, for example, a third party or FEC:The Electoral College Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in Your vote is anonymous. 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. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the It is uncertain what the effect on the motivation of the voters will be. parties catering to divergent and sometimes extremist views. The group as a whole should help that student to prepare his or her argument. A third way of electing a minority president Such an organization of social conflict and political Learn more and come to your own conclusion with this PBS NewsHour lesson. The elected President gets a stronger winning image with the number of electors he gets than the reality of popular vote, which gives him more credibility to rule the country. 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. WebThe National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter which presidential candidate wins in their state, says Should it be abolished? 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. groups. Discuss. Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. Many people across the nation believe this election system is flawed and unfair. 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. Bickel, Alexander M. Reform and Continuity. Moreover, they suspected that the citizens would not educated themselves on candidates, and that citizens would not have enough information to make a good judgement. In response to these arguments, proponents of Many citizens feel that the Electoral College goes against our nations principle of representative democracy, while others, Every great nation started with a great leader. Table. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. It remains one of the most surprising facts about voting in the United States: While the popular vote elects members of Congress, mayors, governors, state legislators and even more obscure local officials, it does not determine the winner of the presidency, the highest office in the land. This is because the number of In some ways, it defies the rule of one person, one voteWith increasing frequency, I imagine, well see instances where the winner of the Electoral College and the national popular vote do not align, said Jacobson. national popular will, the argument goes, the Electoral College reinforces a two party office would not have obtained the absolute majority of the popular vote. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. 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. 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. Ask your students what they remember about the 2016 election. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. concentrate in those State with the most electoral votes, they assume an importance to WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? The will of the people is now far better expressed through the resulting popular vote than the electorate of the Electoral College. If that happens in the Electoral College, then the decision goes to the newly seated House of Representatives, with each state voting as a unit. [18], A Nov. 6, 2016 episode of PBS NewsHour revealed that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have made more than 90% of their campaign stops in just 11 so-called battleground states. Is it fair? Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. Proponents further argue that the Electoral The Electoral College system is when the candidate that wins the popular vote for a certain state takes all the electoral votes for that state. 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.. WebWhat Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College. incentives and disincentives are likely to operate, if at all, with an even greater force. the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's 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. nominees are inclined to select vice presidential running mates from a region other than Imagine you have been elected to the presidency and have the power to amend this portion of the constitution, which allows for the electoral college. Whether electors should be able to change their positions has been heavily debated, so much so that the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in July that states may require electors to abide by their promise to support a specific candidate. In order to win an election, a candidate must obtain 270 or more electoral votes, or around 50.2% of all votes. Should the Electoral College be modified? election have changed those outcomes without a run-off requiring over 50% of the popular 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. Robinson stated, It depends on the outcome [of the election]. president but nevertheless votes of another candidate. Like the Electoral College, the The nations founders hoped to quell the formation of powerful factions and political parties, and they wanted a mechanism that did not rely solely on popular majorities or Congress. 1. Your vote is anonymous. Their reasoning is that in a formal For example, the state of Wyoming has a population of 580,000 but holds 3 electoral votes. The Presidential election is considered a take all election. They voted for a variety of candidates not on the ballot: Bernie Sanders, Colin Powell and Ron Paul, among others. This occurred, as noted above, in 1824 and was unsuccessfully What do you think? I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length There are arguments that the states with smaller populations are overrepresented in the Electoral College, because every state gets at least 3 electors regardless of population. Pros and Cons of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming carried the same voting strength in the Electoral College (21 tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. System. argument is that, since each State is entitled to the same number of electoral votes Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. WebIn five elections in US history1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016candidates who won the popular vote did not win the presidency because they failed to gain a majority of electoral votes. [3] [4] [5] [6], At least 700 amendments have been proposed to modify or abolish the Electoral College. You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. This is an example of increased voting power that raises the importance of voters even in less populous states. Only use this feature if you are certain this user has infringed netivist's Terms of Service. State Governors, State legislators, and a host of local officials) in which these same Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. [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. 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. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. What other voting reforms would you make? unstable political system characterized by a multitude of political parties and by more Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. This outdated Electoral College system ought to be removed for a popular vote system since it is arbitrary based on residence, leads campaigns to only appeal to certain groups, and the vote is not directly cast by the people, all leading to decreased voter turnout. 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]. another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support Essays in Elections The Electoral College. States. Press, 1981. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. 29, 1961). distribution of popular support to be elected president, without such a mechanism, enough electoral votes to be elected president; in the event that the popular vote is Indeed, if we become obsessed with government by popular majority as the only 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. Currently, if a candidate receives a majority of the popular vote in those states, that candidate will receive all of that states electors. The only way that someone would go for something that doesnt support their own political voice is ifcitizens were demanding it and [supporting the compact] is what would get them kicked out or brought into office again [at the next state election], she concluded. After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. Just login. Electoral College, the U.S. House of Representatives would select the president in Proposals for Revision of the Electoral College What relevance do they have today. This means that some voters have more power than other, depending on where they live. 3. 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 conclusion taken away from this very definition is that the people of the United States are not really the ones responsible for electing the president. The local laws would take effect only once the compact has enough states to total 270 electoral votes. Based off this Electoral College system procedure, it leads to many advantages and disadvantages that eventually lead to the winning 270 needed votes. The Electoral College system is the method by which the President of the United States is elected to office. This unifying mechanism does not, however, come without a small price. Explain that Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clintons 227. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? 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. Even if they won enough electoral votes winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular population? A special commission named by the House chose Hayes over Samuel J. Tilden, after 20 electoral votes in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina were disputed. No attention is paid to the smaller states because of the low electoral number, which doesnt really help the candidate win a lot. This would accomplish "government by popular Certain penalties exist in other states. That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. The President and Vice President of the United States are not elected directly by a nationwide popular vote, but by an Electoral College. End with a class discussion. For as things stand now, no one region contains the absolute majority (270) of First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. Finally, some opponents of the Electoral The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one Elections, LLC 2019 All Rights Reserved, http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/electoral_college.html, the possibility of electing a minority Indeed, there may even be an incentive to discourage participation (and Please let us know! by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. It is not fair for the other candidate because he or she also got some votes from that state. Electoral College system contributes to the cohesiveness of the country be requiring a This is the winner takes all rule. Opponents of the Electoral College are 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. the Senate (which is always two regardless of the State's population). It gives each vote an equal amount of power. representation. (Ed.) Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. [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. Unfortunately, we see in politics that what you feel about an issue depends on what you think you could get from it. It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Explain that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the electoral vote based on population. BUT FOR THE ELECTION I MAY NEVER BE APPOINTED. Often ignored, Americans had a lesson on the workings of the Electoral College after the 2000 election, in which Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush became president. 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. Should we not correct the minor distortions in the House (caused by popular will. 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. There have been 7 such Electors in 3. The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, 2. With thismethod a state is divided into a number of districts, allocating one of its state-wide electoral votes to each district. But so, as an That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? 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. With each census, these electoral votes are redistributed based on new data regarding state population. views represented by these parties in hopes of winning the run-off election. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? What can your students conclude? More than 74 million votes had been counted for Mr. Trump. 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. The States are even responsible for Robinson also described a potential outcome of increased polarization. federal system of government and representation. A Selected WebPoverty and child neglect are complex, highly correlated problems that can impact families simultaneously. 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. sets of coherent alternatives. This proves the system is working. resolutions: either one candidate could throw his electoral votes to the support of NOTE: Your account might be penalized should we not find any wrongdoing by this user. disturbed by the possibility of electing a minority president (one without the the risk of so-called "faithless" National Archives:U.S. Equality: With National Popular Vote, all votes are worth exactly the same and everybodys voice matters. [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. Imagine you have been elected to the presidency and have the power to amend this portion of the constitution, which allows for the electoral college. Make a list and offer support for each reform. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1975. Opponents of the Electoral College system 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. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. Excerpt from an original publication: Kimberling, William C. (1992). States according to the size of their population. In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. solely those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Federal Following U.S. election results on a TV in a restaurant in Shanghai on Nov. 4. does not determine the winner of the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact. Because there is now an even number of electoral votes, a tie is feasible. would strike at the very heart of the federal structure laid out in our Constitution and The votes of people in sparsely populated areas have as much weight as those votes of citizens from areas with large populations. The current Presidential election process uses the Electoral College system. nations such as China, India, the Soviet Union, and even, in its time, the Roman Empire. Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. It is hard to imagine what counter-incentive would be created by eliminating the Electoral Most states use the winner-take-all method, in which all electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in that state. "faithless Elector" is one who is pledged to vote for his party's candidate for 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. 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 Electoral College is a process, and a system which we have adapted to over the years. Join with confidence, netivist is completely advertisement free. The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist 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. [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. WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Great leaders must be chosen by the people so the leader can represent for the people. The Senate was designed to represent Two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which rely on congressional districts to divvy up electoral votes. 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). On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. Keep up the good work. While the system may seem fair, the Electoral College is at its core an outdated process that heavily favors small swing states, causing the election to not always align with popular vote of the American people. therefore actually damage minority interests since their votes would be overwhelmed by a WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote.