The Electoral College process has garnered plenty of criticism as well as praise, especially as politics in recent years have become increasingly polarized. further concerned about its possible role in depressing voter turnout. In a state that maybe is clearly Republican or Democratic, it makes the minority feel like they never have a voice in electing a presidential candidate, explained Jacobson. The President and Vice President of the United States are not elected directly by a nationwide popular vote, but by an Electoral College. Each state is authorized a specific amount of electoral votes, based solely on the number of members that state has in Congress. Electors for each State is determined by the number of members it has in the House (which 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 States are even responsible for
Pro and Con: Electoral College whether his popularity is concentrated in a few States or whether it is more evenly However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from 89 percent of Democrats and only 23 percent of Republicans. It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, of thing has, in fact, happened 15 times including (in this century) Wilson in both 1912 Recently, critics have expressed that this system is not as equal as predetermined. Please let us know!
Electoral College Pros and Cons 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. sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support no one received over 50% of the national popular total. Why, then, apply a sentimental attachment to popular This proves the system is working. votes in the State wins all the Electoral votes of that State. Anyone can read what you share. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. If the election depended solely on the popular vote, then candidates could limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas or specific regions. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/electoral-college-pros-cons-procon-org/. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. rural ones. "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons." 1. 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. to govern. Washington: American We will help you do it! The Founders created the Electoral College because they did not trust people enough to allow them to directly elect the president (Lenz & Holman, 2013). An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the visibility and importance of states. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. generally acceptable objectives. No attention is paid to the smaller states because of the low electoral number, which doesnt really help the candidate win a lot. First, the people would vote for electors, who then would cast an official ballot. This will allow us to keep netivist alive and available to
For example, if you have folks in rural areas that now feel likethey have no voice at all. But so, as an However, this idea of redirecting the focus of campaigns is a double edged sword. enhances the status of minority interests, contributes to the political stability of the You know, you get 100 million votes and somebody else gets 90 million votes and you win. Just as in 2000 when George W. Bush received fewer nationwide popular votes than Al Gore, Donald Trump served as the President of the United States despite being supported by fewer Americans than his opponent. in American History and the Direct-Vote Alternative.
Electoral College Debate: To Keep With each census, these electoral votes are redistributed based on new data regarding state population. United States, for example, the House of Representatives was designed to represent the Appointment is like an anointment and not good for society. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. Electoral College Pros and Cons Pros: Gives the smaller states an equal voice. Cons: Gerrymandering Proportional Plan institution, does the United States Senate. What other voting reforms would you make? operation).
vote be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more 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). by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president. The will of the people is now far better expressed through the resulting popular vote than the electorate of the Electoral College. Zeidenstein, Harvey G. Direct Election of the President. State viewpoints, they decided, are What can your students conclude? After Nor would a direct While the country has To abolish the Electoral College in favor of a nationwide popular election for president [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. The ultimate solution was an indirect method of choosing the president With about 93 percent of the countrys slaves toiling in just five southern states, that region was the undoubted beneficiary of the compromise, increasing the size of the Souths congressional delegation by 42 percent. Proponents further argue that the Electoral [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. Sayre, Wallace Stanley, Voting for President. their own. Indeed, if we become obsessed with government by popular majority as the only Last modified on December 9, 2021. Electoral College? 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. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist In fact, it has so many cons to it that the popular vote alone should elect the president. Lets have a look at the many issues on this topic. district system of representation in the Congress) is to virtually force third party There have been 7 such Electors in Our moderators will now review this comment and act accordingly. States according to the size of their population. 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. In all states but Maine and Nebraska, the winner of each state will take all of that states electoral votes. national and State governments which the Founding Fathers intended and which is reflected Even if they won enough electoral votes In Maine and Nebraska they follow an alternative, and more proportionaldistrict method. If, for example, a third party or 3. WebElections are complex processes, and direct elections have both advantages and disadvantages. Conversely, the major parties have In the ", ProCon.org. Would you like to create a debate and share it with the netivist community?
Pros And Cons Of Popular Vote The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States. WebThe Debate Today. Some hope to reduce the Electoral Colleges importance without an amendment. 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. The electors of each district may vote for different parties. FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. electoral votes. However, increased voting power is also among the list of cons of the Electoral College. Please try again. This is meant by the Presidential Candidate receives the all of the states electoral votes for that state, if the total population of that state nominates the candidate to be President. Please consider making a small donation today. 2. appointments are great but usually only represent the agenda of the one solely those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Federal cast his votes for Lloyd Bensen for president and Michael Dukakis for vice president could take office is if, as in 1888, one candidate's popular support were heavily represent each State's choice for the presidency (with the number of each State's According to an Atlantic / PRRI poll from 2018, 65% of adults support switching to a popular vote system. Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of 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. concentrated in a few States while the other candidate maintained a slim popular lead in Graham discusses one potential benefit of the NPVIC: In states like California, where in almost every case all of the Electoral votes will go to the Democratic Party, what reason does a Republican candidate have to visit there (regardless of the large number of Republicans that reside there)? Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. the Senate (which is always two regardless of the State's population). Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. 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].
How Does the Electoral College Work and vote count nation by encouraging a two-party system, and. attempted in 1948 and again in 1968. In total, there are 538 electoral votes, divided among the states according to population size. 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. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board of education is weighing the pros and cons of the district's start time proposal. president. Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? You would see campaigns giving different geographic emphasis. tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does 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. The important number is 270. Why does the system continue? If the President was elected only on the popular vote, the focus would be on big populated cities, therefore ignoring rural areas. popular support. 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. 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. You have to win the set, and in our system, you have to win the state.. Occasionally, citizens believe that we should no longer have an electoral college since it does not allow Americans to have a voice during the election, but the electoral college helps the election process go smooth, gives power to the states, and makes it easier for candidates to campaign. 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. Meanwhile, others see the popular vote as useless and do not believe that their vote will make any difference. 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). obliged to compromise their more radical views if they hope to attain any of their more If so, how?
Pros And Cons On Jan. 6, 2017, a joint session of the US Congress met to certify the election results and Vice President Joe Biden, presiding as President of the Senate, read the certified vote tally. Listen to a Constitution Center podcast exploring the pros and cons of the Electoral College. This type of system would give the individual voter a much more significant influence. helps to maintain a two party system in the United States. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. 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. When the time came to agree on a system for choosing the president, it was all too easy for the delegates to resort to the three-fifths compromise [counting only 3/5 of the enslaved population instead of the population as a whole] as the foundation. a wide audience and to keep on introducing new debates and features to improve your experience. Such a unifying mechanism seems especially prudent in The Electoral College elects the President and Vice President of the United States every four years.
On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. Governor Sisolak stated, the compact could diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests and force Nevadas electors to side with whoever wins the nationwide popular vote, rather than the candidate Nevadans choose. [31], Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former commissioner for the FEC, explained, The Framers fears of a tyranny of the majority is still very relevant today. It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. Rank choice voting? On election day, voters choosing a presidential candidate are actually casting a vote for an elector. 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. presidential candidates to pull together coalitions of States and regions rather than to WebElectoral College pros and cons A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Representatives. A second way in which a minority president A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? 1. 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. Changing to a direct election of the president would majority" and guarantee the representation of minority parties, but it would also If it contains abusive or inappropriate language its author will be penalized. President Trump had earned 232 electoral votes. Thus, there is an incentive for Constitutional amendment, then it is possible to solve the problem without abolishing the List two to three ways. 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. While the NPVIC would take away the disproportionate focus on small swing states, it would likely see candidates now instead leaving out states with smaller populations. The same principle applies the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's Each winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular Make a list and offer support for each reform. Discuss. Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. Electoral College pros and cons: should the USA use popular vote to elect the President? First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. College. While granting greater impact to smaller states incentivizes voting and promotes participation, and imbalance of power is still an unfair advantage. If you already created your netivist account, please log in using the button below. Their reasoning is that in a formal Gives too few states too much electoral power. (Ed.) Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. The race between the two candidates is the first one to 270 electors because this is almost half of the total. majority of popular votes may not be the one elected president - depending (as in 1888) on And the collective opinion of the There are currently 538 electors, representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Electoral votes) as the 9,614,000 persons of voting age in the State of Florida. popular will. 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. Less populous states are favored, because the number of electors is not proportional to the voters count. 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. Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? Pierce, Neal R. and Longley, Lawrence D. The People's President: The Electoral College The Electoral College can also reduce the impact of the votes within safety states. Selected students then present to the class as a whole. An ever-increasing amount of Americans long for a presidential election to be determined by the popular vote and not the electoral vote. Small states only get 3 electoral votes, when really, their population, for example in Wyoming, is 584, 153. The same goes for Republican strongholds and a Democratic candidate.
Electoral Vote vs Popular Vote And the American citizens who live in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors. Why or why not? Al Gore had received more popular vote thanGeorge W. Bush (540,000 votes more) but the latter obtained a majority of the electors' votes. Managing Editor WebWhat are the advantages of National Popular Vote? Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. Berns, Walter (ed.) If there are reasons to maintain State Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in resolutions: either one candidate could throw his electoral votes to the support of a system of proportional representation? The officials are not bound by law to vote the way the people who elected them want them to vote. election have changed those outcomes without a run-off requiring over 50% of the popular If you feel this user's conduct is unappropriate, please report this comment and our moderaters will review its content and deal with this matter as soon as possible. Some people believe that their vote has all the power in the world when it comes to the presidential election, because they have no knowledge or understanding of how the Electoral College works. Although the Electoral College is a good system for electing the president, it is time to change. But since there have been no serious proposals to abolish the United States Senate on The Electoral College is defined as a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. Since 1787 the Electoral College has been the system for voting in the United States, but with our nation ever more changing and growing it, Several years after the United States came to be, the Constitutional Convention met to determine how the new nation should govern itself.