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The U.S. Constitution stipulates that Electors will vote for the office of President and Vice President, what we commonly refer to as the Electoral College. Two times in the 21st century the candidate with the most popular votes across the United States has not won the most votes in the Electoral College, hence losing the election. Some activists and scholars are arguing that a democratic system of government requires that majority rules; therefore, the candidate for President who receives the most popular votes should win the election. Further, there is a proposal to bypass the Electoral College without having to amend the Constitution (which is basically impossible).
Explore the strategy of the National Popular Vote movement
at this website: www.nationalpopularvote.com.
Compare the way in which we elect Presidents in our current
system to the proposal of the National Popular Vote movement. Which method is
superior? Explain your answer.
National
Popular Vote Movement
Student’s
Name
Institutional
Affiliation
National Popular Vote Movement
Introduction
In the United States presidential election, the
popular vote describes the total number of votes cast from all states. The
candidate with most votes wins the popular vote. However, such an aspirant
might end up losing the election. The Constitution authorizes an institution
called Electoral College to vote for the presidential candidate as opposed to
the American population. Al Gore in 2012 and Hillary Clinton in 2016 are among
presidential candidates who lost in the general election because of trailing Electoral
College vote. National Popular Vote Movement proposes an alternative to the
current voting system that will ensure that majority wins, and the candidate
with most votes clinches the presidency.
Similarities
between Electoral College and Popular Vote
In the present poll structure, the
United States utilizes both systems of voting. According to Wagner (2007), Electoral
College is a kind of popular vote. The federal law popularizes the uses a
representative to elect presidential candidates, but at the states levels, it
allows Americans to practice direct voting. National Popular Vote explains that
Constitution stipulates that the people can only vote for the lower ranks of
the legislature, and gives respective states the power to form and shape
election districts (2019). This situation explains that federal decree supports
the use of both election systems, but on different levels of government.
Difference
between Electoral College and Popular Vote
The current system’s political structure shows a
representative republic formation and only allows people to vote for representatives.
The representatives through political parties appoint electors to vote for the
president. While it is possible to get a plurality of votes, it is equally
probable to lose the election still. On the other hand, the alternative system supports
direct democracy. This approach permits people to vote for their preferred
presidential candidate without any intermediaries. Some activists back this
system because it upholds the perception of ‘winner takes it all' as a rule for
the majority (National Popular Vote, 2019). The difference between Electoral
College and the popular vote is because it only sanctions a few constituents to
vote for the president.
The
Superiority of Popular Vote
a) All Other Elections Use Popular Vote
Presidential
elections remain as the only poll not governed by popular vote. The Constitution
does not sanction presidential candidates to receive direct votes from the
majority but a team of electors. However, through majority bases the people
elect other government representatives (National Popular Vote, 2019). Electoral
College allows majority votes from all states to assign electoral votes to
presidential candidates. This situation then establishes an aggregate majority
that enables a person to win an election. The use of a popular vote process
will align presidential polls with the rest of the poll structures.
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