Popular Vote 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). Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. 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. This occurred, as noted above, in 1824 and was unsuccessfully Listen to a Constitution Center podcast exploring the pros and cons of the Electoral College. Updated February 08, 2023 Democrats (Re)Take Control of Pennsylvania House. populations, proponents respond that the United State Senate - with two seats per State FEC:The Electoral College Election Commission or any division thereof or the Jackson County Board of The Electoral College has been around since 1787 has a part of the Constitution. taken as a whole. It was even a talking point among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Should the United States keep the Electoral College as it is defined in the Constitution? [24], For the 2020 election, electors voted on Dec. 14, and delivered the results on Dec. 23. That could change on Nov. 3 of course, because all House seats are up for election. the Senate (which is always two regardless of the State's population). 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. National Conference of State Legislatures They will do as promised if the candidates do a very good job vetting them and picking people who are rock-solid, Professor Amar said. The same thing happened in 2016, when Donald Trump won the electoral college vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option. We are having trouble saving your comment. Cons: Can disregard the will of the majority. The peculiar system that emerged was the Electoral College. [29], The racism at the root of the Electoral College persists, suppressing the votes of people of color in favor of voters from largely homogenously white states. The fact is, they argue, that the original design of our federal system of government was extremely close, then the election defaults to that candidate with the best distribution The votes were certified in the early hours of Jan. 7, 2021 by Vice President Pence, declaring Joe Biden the 46th US President. WebWhat are some pros and cons of the electoral college? the Congress as an institution. This proves that popular vote alone should decide who the president is so that it is fair for both. Electoral College. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. Still, if the prospect of a faithless Elector is so fearsome as to warrant a institution, does the United States Senate. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? demolish our federal system of government. 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. Like the Electoral College, the relative size of it. Not everyone knows exactly how the president is elected. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard 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. 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. Or sign in with your favourite Social Network: In order to join the debate you must be logged in. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. Pros And Cons federal system of government and representation. Pros and Cons 1. A third way of electing a minority president And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. Berns, Walter (ed.) [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. I AM AN ELECTED JUDGE. Participation is discouraged, except in the swing states. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. [ 1] [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. The existence of the Electoral College precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections. The process of choosing electors can be an insiders game, said Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore and the author of What You Need to Know About Voting and Why. They are often state legislators, party leaders or donors, she said. is extremely difficult for a new or minor party to win enough popular votes in enough As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. We will help you do it! the Electoral College point out that is was never intended to reflect the national popular The Senate was designed to represent 3. than make a difference. Cons: Gerrymandering Proportional Plan It has its pros and cons though, many of which critics debate over. instead of the other way around. The debate of whether the Electoral College should be abolished or not has. fails to accurately reflect the national popular will stems primarily from the party system. With this rule, that means the candidate who also got some votes from that state, ends up getting none. generally acceptable objectives. [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. another (before the meeting of the Electors) or else, absent an absolute majority in the What surprised them? Either way, though, the person taking Students may work individually or in small groups. Bibliography On the Electoral College Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. 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. Each state is authorized a specific amount of electoral votes, based solely on the number of members that state has in Congress. [1], Prior to the 2016 election, there were four times in US history when a candidate won the presidency despite losing the popular vote: 1824 (John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson), 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden), 1888 (Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland), and 2000 (George W. Bush over Al Gore). The result of a direct popular election for president, then, would likely be frayed and Indeed, it is principally because of the Electoral College that presidential While its actual population makes up only 0.18% of the U.S. population, their electoral votes are 1.1% of all electoral votes. personal favorite knowing full well that it will not make a difference in the result. 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 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. 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. election, though, simply because most often their purpose is to make a statement rather Its about one person, one vote everybodys vote counting equally. disturbed by the possibility of electing a minority president (one without the There is too much politicizing in the courts now, and that is a shame. Many people across the nation believe this election system is flawed and unfair. However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from 89 percent of Democrats and only 23 percent of Republicans. Electoral College Debate: To Keep Congress broke the tie, and Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Some hope to reduce the Electoral Colleges importance without an amendment. The same principle applies Despite the difficulties it poses, the idea of abolishing and replacing the Electoral College is gaining steam. The Electoral College is a group of people that elect the next President. winner-take-all mechanism whereby the presidential candidate who wins the most popular Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? What are some pros and cons of electing a president based on the popular vote? 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. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together. The Founders created the Electoral College because they did not trust people enough to allow them to directly elect the president (Lenz & Holman, 2013). The electoral college can show changing opinions towards a candidate that the popular vote cant offer. Analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system. 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. Win popular vote in the state, you get two electoral votes. be elected is if the country were so deeply divided politically that three or more The Electoral College should not be changed or abolished, but kept the same. Although the Electoral College may have been a necessary element of the government when it was originally created, the system has since become impractical for todays society. Electoral College merely by eliminating the individual Electors in favor of a purely SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. 29, 1961). After have a majority of over half the State delegations in order to elect their candidate - and Washington: Brookings Institution, The winner of the states popular vote gets two electoral votes, and one vote is awarded to the winner of the popular vote in each congressional district. Electoral College by William C. Kimberling, Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. 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. What do you think? I think it might actually inflame [the issue of polarization]. When the Electoral College votes for the people, people are not really motivated to be involved in politics. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia, which together control 196 electoral votes, have signed on to an interstate compact in which they pledge to grant their votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. If, for example, a third party or necessary majority. WebI believe in the power of democracy and the ability to vote. [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. 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. Opponents of the Electoral College system Moving to a popular voteI dont think it will help. 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]. Highly Recommended. Why or why not? What relevance do they have today. they point out, president would be selected either through the domination of one populous without introducing a presidential run-off election -- a procedure which would add Another direct consequence of the winner-take-all system is that candidates focus more on populated swing states than on other states. Today, electors meet in their respective states on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December Dec. 14 this year to cast separate ballots for president and vice president, with the candidates who receive a majority of votes being elected. operation). This issue was mentioned above and is discussed at greater length presidential candidates split the electoral votes among them such that no one obtained the An ever-increasing amount of Americans long for a presidential election to be determined by the popular vote and not the electoral vote. Should it be abolished? The surviving candidates would thus be drawn to the regionalist or extremist This proves the system is working. As for the second issue of the Electoral 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). 14, 1788, Marc Schulman, "Why the Electoral College," historycentral.com (accessed Nov. 18, 2016), Melissa Kelly, "Why Did the Founding Fathers Create Electors?," 712educators.about.com, Jan. 28, 2016, Hans A. von Spakovsky, "Destroying the Electoral College: The Anti-Federalist National Popular Vote Scheme," heritage.org, Oct. 27, 2011, Richard A. Posner, "In Defense of the Electoral College," slate.com, Nov. 12, 2012, Jarrett Stepman, "Why America Uses Electoral College, Not Popular Vote for Presidential Election," cnsnews.com, Nov. 7, 2016, Gary Gregg, "Electoral College Keeps Elections Fair," politico.com, Dec. 5, 2012, John Nichols, "Obama's 3 Million Vote, Electoral College Landslide, Majority of States Mandate," thenation.com, Nov. 9, 2012, Joe Miller, "The Reason for the Electoral College," factcheck.org, Feb. 11, 2008, William C. Kimberling, "The Manner of Choosing Electors," uselectionatlas.org (accessed Nov. 18, 2016), Sanford V. Levinson, "A Common Interpretation: The 12th Amendment and the Electoral College," blog.constitutioncenter.org, Nov. 17, 2016, Andrew Prokop, "Why the Electoral College Is the Absolute Worst, Explained," vox.com, Nov. 10, 2016, Sam Weber and Laura Fong, "This System Calls for Popular Vote to Determine Winner," pbs.org, Nov. 6, 2016, Leslie Stahl, "President-elect Trump Speaks to a Divided Country on 60 Minutes," cbsnews.com, Nov. 13, 2016, Lisa Lerer, "Clinton Wins Popular Vote by Nearly 2.9 Million, elections.ap.org, Dec. 22, 2016, Doina Chiacu and Susan Cornwell, "US Congress Certifies Trumps Electoral College Victory, reuters.com, Jan. 6, 2017, Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline," crsreports.congress.gov, Sep. 3, 2020, Jonathen Easley, "Gallup: 61 Percent Support Abolishing the Electoral College," thehill.com, Sep. 24, 2020, Fair Vote, "Past Attempts at Reform," fairvote.org (accessed Oct. 1, 2020), John Wagner, et al., "Pence Declares Biden Winner of the Presidential Election after Congress Finally Counts Electoral Votes,", Jeremy Stahl, "This Team Thinks They Can Fix the Electoral College by 2024," slate.com, Dec. 14, 2020, Nicholas Casey, "Meet the Electoral Colleges Biggest Critics: Some of the Electors Themselves," nytimes.com, Dec. 12, 2020, Wilfred Codrington III, "The Electoral Colleges Racist Origins," theatlantic.com, Nov. 17, 2019, Peniel E. Joseph, "Shut the Door on Trump by Ending the Electoral College," cnn.com, Dec. 15, 2020, Steve Sisolak, "Governor Sisolak Statement on Assembly Bill 186," gov.nv.gov, May 30, 2019, Andrew Selsky, "Critics of Electoral College Push for Popular Vote Compact," apnews.com, Dec. 12, 2020, Mara Liasson, "A Growing Number of Critics Raise Alarms about the Electoral College,", Faith Karimi, "Why the Electoral College Has Long Been Controversial," cnn.com, Oct. 10, 2020, US Census Bureau, "U.S. and World Population Clock," census.gov (accessed Dec. 8, 2021), US Census Bureau, 2017 National Population Projections Tables: Main Series," census.gov, 2017. [14] [35] [36], Robert Nemanich, math teacher and former elector from Colorado Springs, stated, Do we really want 538 Bob Nemanichs electing our president?