The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact collectively apportions votes to the winner of the overall popular vote without a constitutional amendment abolishing the electoral college or the assent of Congress. 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. With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College, What Is Majoritarianism? It gives more voting power to individual voters in smaller states. Many of these states dont participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. It is perhaps the most simplistic form of an election. 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. Today, many electors are bound to vote according to their states' popular vote results, and those who aren't almost always do. How the US Electoral College System Works, Biography of Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, What Is Statutory Law? But sometime in the future the popular vote will change back and lean Republican. Around six-in-ten U.S. adults (63%) say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency, while 35% favor keeping the current Electoral College system, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 27-July 4, 2022. Ken Bickers. 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. 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. 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. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. That would give the Compact states only 3 days( and two of those days were weekend days) to certify their state votes. And that would lead to chaos in how political parties campaign for president and could also undermine the legitimacy of the process. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. Advantage: Encourages Voter Turnout Though the original, some would say highly undemocratic, purpose. The framers enacted the provisions relating to the Electoral College to allow for state innovation. 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. Although many supporters of the electoral college argue that a two-party political system is more stable, some critics counter that having more than two parties would give Americans more choice. A faithless elector in the United States is someone who casts an electoral ballot for someone other than the individuals to whom they are pledged. Although this may limit the amount of diversity that occurs in office, and may generate extra financial costs, the argument could be made that these risks outweigh the results of an election where a majority of states, not a majority of people, put someone into office. This brings us to 196 of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the pact. National Popular Vote will create a single member district (all 50 states and D.C.), where the candidate with the most votes wins and . The winner would receive one vote per congressional district won with the winner of the state popular vote gaining a two electoral votes. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. As a result, the bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes. The Electoral College is very undemocratic and riddled with issues. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. Heres how. That principle should be expanded to presidential elections. The cost of a presidential election in the United States is already several billion dollars. Under the plan, Michigan's 15 Electoral . Over the years, the National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in the legislatures of all 50 states. Lawmakers discuss plan to enact National Popular Vote in Michigan. In 2004, for example, candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry campaigned heavily in states such as Nevada while ignoring political issues in New York, a state that Kerry was sure to win, according to the University of the Pacific. Regional candidates could secure enough votes to win a national election. They have only won the popular vote once. 6. Yes. 6. 4. And thats not how it should be in a democracy. It isnt impossible to pass a Constitutional amendment, though history shows that it is not an easy process to complete. Just 12 Closely Divided Battleground States Got 96% of 2020 Campaign Events. every decade states are redistricted could be redrawn to capture house seats and corrupt the Presidential election Colorado is on the verge of joining a nationwide movement that could eventually change how we choose the next president of the United States. Cons of Electoral College. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. 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). The years-old effort is slowly making its way through state legislatures in hopes of changing the way A popular vote system would significantly impact voters and turnout. 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. cons of the national popular vote plansuper lemon haze greenhouse. "The National Popular Vote Plan." 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). 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. In each instance the republic has survived, and democracy has prospered despite the challenges presented. 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. Lincoln Chafee (D) made his state the latest to sign on. The United States has a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy: Citizens elect representatives rather than voting on each bill. 8. Instead, each state and Washington D.C. is assigned a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. That nightmare may seem like a pleasant dream if NPV has its way. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work. 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 . According to Article II, Section 1, "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress." Without any sort of broad support, the politics of the country could become even more fractured than they already are. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. Either would provide a reason for both parties to compete in most states because there would be electors to win. When a popular vote is held for a national office, the election becomes more about platform issues than local issues. Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their 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. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. Get breaking news and updates from Common Cause. cons of the national popular vote plan. Longley, Robert. And finally, the Electoral College doesnt work today anywhere near how the Founding Fathers intended it to work when they created it back in 1787. There would be fewer opportunities to illegally alter the results of an election. Is this a solution to first past the post or is it merely reinforcing our current two party system? 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. Actually the NPV Compact doesnt change one word in he Constitution and in fact only changes state laws. Under the electoral college, the majority votes of states assign electoral votes to a candidate, which then creates a majority total required for a victory. 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). Web. The popular vote currently gives every citizenCalifornians and Texans, Hawaiians and Mainers, Alabamans and Oregoniansan equal say in choosing the president. 1. 2. 8. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it . It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more. The appeal of NPV is the simplicity of its message. Would it aid a fight to eliminate first past the post or would it further entrench the established party system voters American voters have expressed disdain for. That could lead to a very bad situation where, instead of the people voting in November to determine who the next president is, one or two states could effectively decide who becomes the next president simply by joining or withdrawing from the NPV Compact and changing the rules on how the votes for president are counted in the next election.