cons of the national popular vote plan

And that would undermine the legitimacy of the NPV among those people. The National Popular Vote Bill is a bill for Americans interested in both preserving our Electoral College and reforming the shortcomings of our current "winner-take-all" system that awards all the electors of one state to the candidate who wins in that particular state and . 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. Because of the Winner-Take-All state laws candidates for president only campaign and spend their money in 12-13 swing states because voters in those few swing states determine who wins the election and presidential candidates totally ignore voters in the rest of the country(except to raise money). But we're closer to that than you might think 15 states and the District of Columbia have already signed on, providing 196 electoral votes of the needed 270. More people live in urban regions, which means they would have a constant sway over the election. It would require an Amendment in the U.S. for presidential elections. Nevada passed the legislation in 2019, but Gov. Image the country thinks it is going to elect the president by National Popular Vote and then changing back to using the old Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system just four months before an election. The years-old effort is slowly making its way through state legislatures in hopes of changing the way 3. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. Here is the entire text of the proposed "Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote." Tweet Email this More on The Electoral College: Honorable Steve Cohen 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. Disadvantages of the NPV Interstate Compact. Common Cause Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. 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. (LogOut/ I am confident that when we enter the next phase where the popular vote leans Republican that Republicans will change and be adamant that we should elect the president by direct popular vote and Democrats will be arguing why we should keep the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system. 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 . 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. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. It could encourage voter turnout. An electoral college would solve . Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. June 7, 2022 . National Popular Vote proponents argue that the United States has had four presidential elections in which the plurality winner of the popular vote was not chosen as president. Feb 25, 2023. Today, many electors are bound to vote according to their states' popular vote results, and those who aren't almost always do. 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. During the 2012 elections, 38 states, also known as spectator states, were ignored and forgotten. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. A candidate may not have to concentrate anymore, but they may have to move their attention to states such as Texas, New York, California, and Alaska. According to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, some proponents of the Electoral College argue that it isolates election problems, such as illegally extended voting hours or irregularly high voter turnout. 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. In fact, let's tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. Imperfect, because its modern-day blessings -- enhancing coalition building, pluralism, federalism and grass-roots participation -- are enjoyed only by a minority of states (in any given presidential election 18 or 20), where the battle for electoral votes is competitive for both major parties. 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. 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. "The National Popular Vote Plan." 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. I will explain that in another blog post. Constitutional Amendment to Guarantee the Right to Vote for All U.S. Citizens. The danger of NPV is that it will undermine the complex and vital underpinnings of American democracy. Under the current structure of presidential elections in the U.S., the states become a battleground of red states vs. blue states. This brings us to 196 of the 270 (73%) electoral votes needed to activate the pact just 74 votes away. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. 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). Under the electoral college system, if a state consistently pulls as leaning to one party, someone who supports the other party may not vote because they feel like there isnt a need to do so. That offers the possibility that someone unwilling or unable to hold the office could be elected. Under the system of proportional representation, any party with a high enough percentage of the vote will receive a seat in the government. Part of HuffPost Politics. The United States does not have direct election of its president, yet most national, state and local offices are filled by the candidate with the most votes. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. This is a situation that has caused controversy in the election years of of 1800, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016 when the elected president won the Electoral College and the presidency but did not win the popular vote. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-national-popular-vote-plan-3322047 (accessed March 4, 2023). Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a persons vote really doesnt matter (Black). The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. 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. Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. And that would lead to chaos in how political parties campaign for president and could also undermine the legitimacy of the process. An individuals vote doesnt make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Because its so hard to get an amendment to the Constitution passed that means that once it becomes law it will probably remain so for a long time because the bar to change it back is so high. And unlike direct elections, either would provide an incentive for grass-roots activity, coalition building and enhanced citizen participation. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 5. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. Thats how politics works in America. Even the minority party wouldnt be encouraged to negotiate because they could simply stall until the next election. Under the electoral college system of voting, the number of representatives a state has in Congress (Senators and Representatives) is the total number of electoral votes it is allowed. The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). If the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact becomes law it would be an excellent first step to help get a future amendment to the Constitution to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect the president with a national popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. If enacted by enough states, the National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. There are pros and cons to both systems. National Popular Vote values rural and urban voters equally. Just 12 Closely Divided Battleground States Got 96% of 2020 Campaign Events. N.p., n.d. There are logistical issues that are managed at the local level in each election. The issue raised by the National Popular Vote campaign is fundamental: What kind of a democracy should America be? 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. For more information, please see our and our The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. a plan for a national popular vote could undermine the . If a party knows either that it can't win a single elector in a state or has an easy road to winning all of them, it sends its resources to where it has a competitive chance.. 2015. cons of the national popular vote plan. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. Cookie Notice It gives more voting power to individual voters in smaller states. 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. In a direct popular election, a candidate could theoretically win without having broad support throughout the country. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among states and the District of Columbia to award their respective electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote of the presidential election. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right Loading Home Buying Calculators (LogOut/ A candidate could be elected without the popular vote. Longley, Robert. If a popular vote were allowed to declare a winner instead, it wouldnt be through a state-by-state counting of electoral votes. Similarly, because a national campaign mandates a national message, there would also be a smaller incentive for coalition-building or taking into account the characteristics, needs and desires of citizens in differing states and regions. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. Due to some states being heavily populated in comparison to others, that may help a candidate quickly obtain a win. Longley, Robert. In 6 Elections, 2 Near-Misses (2020, 2004) and 2 Second-Place Presidents (2016, 2000) National Popular Vote Has Been Enacted into Law in 16 Jurisdictions with 195 Electoral Votes. The Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns . mike matarazzo last photo. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? That view of democracy recognizes the existence and desirability of organized interests and enshrines that principle under the concept of pluralism. It seeks to be a bulwark against mass hysteria and the hysteria created by mass media. Cons of Electoral College. Advantages of the NPV Interstate Compact 1. The NPVIC is an agreement among states designed to guarantee election of the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. NPV is grounded in two powers delegated to states by the Constitution: the power to design rules for awarding their electoral votes and the power to enter into interstate Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. The method works by electing one elector within each congressional district by popular vote and selecting the remaining two electors by a statewide popular vote. The National Popular Vote Bill is not a Democrat or Republican bill. This text is available online and is used for gudiance and inspiration, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. 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.