Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. Even though pre-election polls made conspicuous predictions of Hilary Clinton winning the presidency and . The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election (Archives). Imagine a scenario where a presidential candidate focuses on Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, OR and Seattle. By adding this new interstate compact to the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect our president we are in fact making this system even more complicated and even harder for the voters to understand. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. sale of united methodist church property. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . 6. The alternative view of democracy is more complex; it is one that includes but is not limited to the pursuit of equality. The issue raised by the National Popular Vote campaign is fundamental: What kind of a democracy should America be? The NPVC is a proposed interstate compact in which the signatory states agree that they will appoint their presidential electors in accordance with the national popular vote rather than their own state electorate's vote. I fear that most, if not all, of the states signing onto the NPV Compact will be just blue states. Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. 6. "The National Popular Vote Plan." How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. This National Popular Vote Compact wouldn't take effect until states with 270 electors a majority joined in. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. 4. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. To become president of the United States of America, you must be at least 35 years old, have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years and be a natural-born citizen. List of the Cons of Proportional Representation. In Maine, both houses of the legislature passed the bill in 2019, but it failed at the final enactment step. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. [Add switching votes of losing party to the other partys voter totals in every state using the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system (except for 5 EC votes in Maine and Nebraska that are awarded proportionally instead of by Winner-Take-All.]. Definition and Examples, How Political Party Convention Delegates are Chosen, What Is a Caucus? 2. If the presidential election were switched to the popular vote, then it would only take about 35% of the vote for a candidate to win. Because there was a difference of less than 1,000 tabulated votes between George W. Bush and Al Gore in one state, Florida, the nation watched as 6 million votes were recounted by machine, several hundred thousand were recounted by hand in counties with differing recount standards, partisan litigators fought each other in state and federal courts, the secretary of state backed by the majority of state legislators (all Republicans) warred with the state's majority Democratic judiciary -- until 37 days after the election the U.S. Supreme Court, in a bitterly controversial 5-4 decision effectively declared Bush the winner. However, a popular vote system, although hard to implement, is a more purely democratic system than the Electoral College. This move would ensure that the Presidency would be given to the candidate that received the most popular votes all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 2. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. National Popular Vote Plan page 3 that non-member states that fail to hold such elections will not be included in the determination of 'the national popular vote winner.' This sidesteps the problem and provides an incentive for all states (non-members as well as members) to (continue to) hold such elections. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. An individuals vote doesnt make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. 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. That nightmare may seem like a pleasant dream if NPV has its way. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. It would reduce diversity in the election structures. Resource allocation would be focused on paid advertising, which would negate the need for grassroots activities. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. State Question 820 lays out a statutory framework for a recreational industry that would begin about 90 days after election results are certified. According to the Constitution, the Electoral College is a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens (National Archives). The Electoral College system - the way we really elect our president - has always had its detractors and lost even more public support after the 2016 election, when it became apparent that President-ElectDonald Trump might have lost the nationwide popular vote to Sec. And that would lead to chaos in how political parties campaign for president and could also undermine the legitimacy of the process. 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. If some of the 50 states and DC cannot certify their popular votes by the December deadline that could create a constitutional crisis where we would not have all of the state Electoral College votes certified by the time the Electoral College is required to vote according to the Constitution. NPV is more than a third of the way to its goal. Some critics argue that more people would vote in a direct popular election, according to the University of the Pacific. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. The electoral college leads to a heavy emphasis on swing states and also typically over-represents citizens in rural states. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. Without any sort of broad support, the politics of the country could become even more fractured than they already are. Electing a president who did not have broad regional support could lead to a fractured and less cohesive country, according to the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. 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. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. Or states might explore what was recently proposed in Colorado -- that electors be allocated in proportion to each candidate's share of the popular vote above a certain threshold. There are pros and cons to both systems. NPV supporters claim, accurately, that a direct election for president would reduce or eliminate the possibility that a fringe candidate (like a Ralph Nader or Ron Paul) winning five percent or less of the vote in a single state could serve to defeat a major party candidate from the same side of the political spectrum. Battleground states would disappear in U.S. elections. The National Popular Vote effort, explained The National Popular Vote effort is now halfway to its goal of electing future presidents via the popular vote, after Rhode Island Gov. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. That means the cost of counting all the votes would be duplicated. And that would undermine the legitimacy of the NPV among those people. As with other powers entrusted to the states, it is an application, not a circumvention, of the Constitution when the states utilize those powers as they see fit. 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. Past Event: The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties has announced plans to broadcast a webinar discussing the National Popular Vote (NPV) on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m. National Popular Vote has been leading the campaign to fix the electoral college and elect the president by national popular vote since its founding in 2006 . Published: Mar. A direct popular election would make it more possible for third-party candidates to succeed and would also encourage political parties to become more radical and extreme. tobin james the blend 2017 ; real estate marketing solutions; cons of the national popular vote plan; lassi kefalonia shops cons of the national popular vote plan Many people may feel that any major change in how we elect the president should be in the Constitution and not in a legal loop hole even if its legal and technically constitutional. For the popular vote, however, Hillary Clinton received 65.8 million votes, while Donald Trump received 62.9 million votes. For example, if a state used NPV and voted for candidate A, but candidate B received the most votes nationwide, the state would allocate its presidential electors to candidate B. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 5. Even though we will be able to elect the president by national popular vote using the The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, eventually the rules for how we elect the president should be an official part of the Constitution. Also the NPV Compact allows states to withdraw from the compact as late as four months before an election. As of December 2020, the bill has been fully adopted predominately by Democratic-majority blue states which delivered the 14 largest vote shares for Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election. Explains kimberling, william c., and dave leip's . 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. When you cast your ballot, you're not actually voting directly for your favored presidential candidate. That's almost 1.5 billion . Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. A popular vote election takes all ballots that are cast, counts them, and declares the winner based on who received the most votes. But if some non-member 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. National Popular Vote is a constitutional and practical way to implement nationwide popular election of the President a goal traditionally supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. 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. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. But NPV could force our electors to disregard the wishes of the . Instead, it modifies the winner-take-all rule in a way its supporters say would assure that every vote will matter in every state in every presidential election. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. 3. To date, the bill has passed at least one legislative chamber in 9 states possessing 82 combined electoral votes: AR, AZ, ME, MI, MN, NC, NV, OK, and OR. PBS: What does voter turnout tell us about the 2016 election. on Advantages and Disadvantages of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Follow All U.S. Citizens Should Vote. While we look further into the National Popular Vote, lets investigate some of its pro and cons for the American democracy. Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. 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 bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes a majority of the current 538 electoral votes. 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. (LogOut/ 5. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. In addition, the bill has been unanimously approved at the committee level in the states of Georgia and Missouri, controlling a combined 27 electoral votes. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). 7. ashburnham school committee; its his baby now political cartoon meaning; softstar primal sawyer . They have only won the popular vote once. This blog post is a joint effort with Leslie Francis, former executive director of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. That would increase the amount of polarization being experienced in politics today because there would be less of a need to compromise. The second advantage is that the all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). It fails to reach the ideal of one-person one-vote. The NPV is a multi-state agreement that, when active, would ensure that the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote nationally also wins in the Electoral College. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. 4. cons of the national popular vote planchicago religious demographics. In U.S. history, there has been one vice-presidential candidate who died after being nominated and one that withdrew from their partys ticket. Each states electoral votes are tallied by Congress in the House chamber by House and Senate representatives on the 6th day of January following the Presidential election. Home| Government| Elections| Electoral College| Electoral College Pros And Cons. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz often split about 60% of the GOP vote, which allowed Donald Trump to win early primaries with 35% of the vote. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. 9. National Popular Vote values rural and urban voters equally. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. After the process, the President of the Senate reveals who has officially been voted in as President and Vice President of the United States. The winner-take-all rule is not required by the Constitution and was actually used by only three states in the nation's first presidential election in 1789. 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. There are a number of pros for this method. There are alternatives to winner-take-all that do not involve abandoning the positive aspects of the Electoral College. A plan to enact the National Popular Vote was introduced in the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday. 622 By John Samples The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted. It would eliminate the Congressional provisions for a non-majority election. Once enacted, the participating states would cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate winning the nationwide popular vote, thus ensuring that candidate the required 270 electoral votes. 5. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Proponents of the National Popular Vote fail to understand the most basic facts about the American presidential electoral system. Change). Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors and a majority of 270 electoral votes is mandatory to nominate the President. Hence, the National Popular Vote plan is an interstate compact a type of state law authorized by the U.S. Constitution that enables states to enter into a legally enforceable, contractual obligation to undertake agreed joint actions, which may be delayed in implementation until a requisite number of states join in. 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. Then, election officials in all participating states would choose the electors sworn to support thepresidential candidate who received the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. The National Popular Vote Plan. The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operates. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. 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. (See: Electoral Votes by State). 7. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Many cities and school districts, under threat of a lawsuit by a Malibu attorney, have already adopted or are in the process of changing to district elections rather than remaining citywide or . NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. Longley, Robert. In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. 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