cons of the national popular vote plan cons of the national popular vote plan

Maryland and New Jersey passed this bill in 2007, Hawaii and Illinois in 2008, Washington in 2009, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia in 2010, California and Vermont in 2011, Rhode Island in 2013, New York in 2014 and Connecticut in 2018. Privacy Policy. For under its plan, the next time the U.S. has very close national vote, a recount would not be of six million votes in one state but of more than 130 million votes in all states and the District of Columbia, all with their own rules for conducting a recount. 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. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. Watch out! I will explain that in another blog post. Learn more about how the National Popular Vote compact works and the ways it could make our elections better for everyone. Washington, DC 20005, Common Cause pays tribute to our leader, our friend, and a lifelong advocate for our democracy, Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Issues, Ensure Fair Districts & Reflective Democracy, Expand Voting Rights & Election Integrity, Promote Free Speech & Accountability in Media, Protect the Constitution, Courts & Other Democracy Reforms. Heres how. That, in turn, would likely diminish voter turnout. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. National Popular Vote - Pros and Cons "The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire U.S. In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. In Maine, both houses of the legislature passed the bill in 2019, but it failed at the final enactment step. 622 By John Samples The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted. 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. How about receiving a customized one? However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. Here are the Cons of the Electoral College 1. Opines that the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to abolith the electoral college. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. 10 Apr. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. It understands that while the nation is one union, it is also an amalgam of varying experiences and perspectives arrived at via the settings and unique problems surrounding those who live in different places, and that these differences fall within the broad rubric of federalism. In fact, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which has now been adopted by 15 states and the District of Columbia, totaling 196 electoral votes, is an actionable and realistic . 15 states and Washington, D.C. have joined the National Popular Vote compact. 4. Second, some believe itll intensify election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout (Richards). There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 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. The National Popular Vote stems from the winner-take-all approach that validates the presidential candidate interactions with only 4 out of 50 dates during their campaign. That's almost 1.5 billion . While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. All states could adopt the system that now exists in Maine and Nebraska, where all but two electors are chosen by congressional district, and the other two go to the statewide winner. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. Candidates feel they either cant win or lose with the votes from these states. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. National Popular Vote (NPV) was founded in 2006 by lottery scratch-card inventor John Koza and election lawyer Barry Fadem to lobby for an "interstate compact" for states to deliver their electoral votes for President to the "winner" of the national popular vote. Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). 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. Their vote only counts at the local level, not the national level, because of the electoral votes. That means some voters, like Republicans in California or Democrats in Mississippi, are voting without power and without attention from their preferred candidates each year. As a result, the percentage of popular votes secured by Donald Trump was just 46.4% in comparison with Hilary Clinton, who secured 48.5% of the votes. Longley, Robert. 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). The National Popular Vote stems from the winner-take-all approach that validates the presidential candidate interactions with only 4 out of 50 dates during their campaign. Constitutional Amendment to Guarantee the Right to Vote for All U.S. Citizens. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. Should that happen, then the final decision of who gets to serve as President of the United States is taken away from individual voters. The states that join the NPV Compact will not be able to certify their Electoral College Votes until all 50 states and DC certify their state popular votes and any mandated/requested recounts since the Compact state ECVs are dependent on the winner of the national popular vote and not just their own state popular votes. 4. The years-old effort is slowly making its way through state legislatures in hopes of changing the way In the 2020 general election, a ballot proposition attempted to overturn Colorado's membership to the pact, but the measure failed, 52.3% to 47.7% in the referendum. Before the 2016 election, the largest vote deficit in the popular vote was Al Gore securing over 500,000 votes more than George W. Bush. 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. 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 of the 2000 presidential election. But if some non-member 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. 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. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). National Popular Vote compact pros and cons. The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. A candidate can win the popular vote in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes but still lose the popular vote nationally. 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. Presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, or campaign in states that they cannot possibly win or lose; in 2016, 68% of presidential campaign visits took place in just six states. On a close popular vote, often defined as a difference of 0.5% or less in the tabulated results, an automatic recount would likely be triggered. 4. Steve Sisolak vetoed it. Under the National Popular Vote plan,the compact would take effect only when enabling legislation has been enacted by states collectively possessing a majority of the electoral votes:270 of 538 total. Under the current structure of the electoral college, the focus of a presidential campaign is on the so-called battleground states. When the Constitution was set in place in 1789, the U.S. elected its first president. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. 1. 1. Change). They have only won the popular vote once. 7. 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? Even if states impose fines on faithless electors for their actions, it is not a guarantee that the behavior will stop. amazon web services address herndon va custom airbrush spray tan near me custom airbrush spray tan near me 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. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. 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. Louisiana voters should decide who receives Louisiana's electoral votes. Inside Ohio or Florida, to pick two examples, the big cities do not receive all the attention, and they certainly do not control the outcome. National Popular Vote values rural and urban voters equally. Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. 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. If the National Popular Vote bill was secured within the American government, it would protect every vote and would allow those votes to equally matter in the presidential election. 3. (2021, Jun 14). The itineraries of presidential candidates in battleground states (and their allocation of other campaign resources) demonstrate what every gubernatorial or senatorial candidate in every state already knows namely that when every vote matters, the campaign must be run in every part of the state. 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). Longley, Robert. Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. It knows that a majoritarianism that produces a plurality is not the voice of a majority of the citizenry. Unless the national popular vote was very close, or there were all lot of recounts outstanding, the Compact states in most cases would effectively know what the outcome would be and could be prepared to certify their state votes very quickly to make the Electoral College meeting date deadline. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. During a popular vote, a candidate who withdraws from the race or dies before the election can be held could still be on the ballot. To take effect, the National Popular Vote bill must be enacted by the state legislatures of states controlling a total of 270 electoral votes - a majority of the overall 538 electoral votes and the number currently required to elect a president. But if we set politics aside and focus on what is really best for democracy in our country in the long run I believe that the advantages of using the NPV compact to elect our president outweigh the disadvantages and the best way to elect our president in the 21st century is by direct popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. 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 popular vote eliminates this issue too. A plan to enact the National Popular Vote was introduced in the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday. Removing this system could encourage more people to come out to support their candidate. 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. The National Popular Vote compact would have the same effect as a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College but has the benefit of retaining the power to control presidential elections in states hands. cons of the national popular vote planchicago religious demographics. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. Without any sort of broad support, the politics of the country could become even more fractured than they already are. As of July 2020, a National Popular Vote bill has been signed into law in 16 states controlling a total of 196 electoral votes, including 4 small states, 8 medium-sized states, 3 big states (California, Illinois, and New York), and the District of Columbia. Lastly, it may cause a third-party candidate to prevail and win, which would allow Americans to be given more choices besides the two primary parties (Richards). what connection type is known as "always on"? 6. Their answer is simple: one in which every citizen's vote is equal to every other citizen's vote and one in which the winner of the presidential popular vote, no matter how small his or her percentage is of those who voted, would be elected. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. Retrieved from https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Should the Electoral College Be Abolished, Pros for The Electoral College in the United States, Electoral College is Undemocratic but We Have no Better System, The Electoral College Should Be Terminated, The Electoral College Annotated Bibliography. On April 15, 2014 Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York State quietly signed into law the National Popular Vote, making New York the 10th state -- along with the District of Columbia -- to support this effort, while also boosting the total numbers to 165 of the 270 electoral votes needed to make a true national popular vote a reality. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. The Electoral College system, however imperfect, serves this broader view of democracy. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. That would increase the amount of polarization being experienced in politics today because there would be less of a need to compromise. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. The alternative view of democracy is more complex; it is one that includes but is not limited to the pursuit of equality. 5. Is the National Popular Vote Plan Constitutional? The amendment requires that any change to the rate of compensation for members of Congress can only take effect after a subsequent election in the House of Representatives. 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. Just another site cons of the national popular vote plan . You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. It would limit the influence of local issues in the election. Thats a bank of about 14 million potential voters that reliably vote as a majority for Democratic candidates. In 2016, Hillary Clinton had more than 10 million of these votes, while Donald Trump had more than 8.3 million, even though Trump won 30 states and Clinton won 20 and the District of Columbia. Voters in spectator states, including five of the nations 10 most populous states (California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey), and 12 of the 13 least populous states (all but New Hampshire) have no real incentive to go to the polls as their votes do not affect the outcome of the election. For the 7 presidential elections between 1992-2016, the Republican candidate has won the Electoral college 3 times. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. On a close popular vote, often defined as a difference of 0.5% or less in the tabulated results, an automatic recount would likely be triggered. Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. Activating the National Popular Vote compact would reshape our . The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. Part of HuffPost Politics. 2. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. In countries where the concept of popular votes is in place, every vote has an equal weight regarding the election outcome. 5. A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. The National Popular Vote plan would eliminate what critics of the Electoral College system point to as the "winner-take-all" rule - the awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in that state. The horror of a potential national recount is only one of the dangers direct presidential elections poses. 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. After all, is said and done, the candidate who attains the largest number of votes can still lose. But in practice it could happen every 10 or 20 years when the Electoral College votes change because the congressional boundaries change with the new population census. A popular vote structure would virtually eliminate the idea of a third-party candidate having a chance in an election. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less.