But don’t forget, Bush won the popular vote four years later by three million votes. In each of those cases, the electoral college made it clear who would be president even when the popular vote wasn't that conclusive. But by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that only Congress could limit its own terms. The Electoral College ensures that each state gets a fair say in who wins the presidency. The reason for this is because Donald Trump, president-elect of the 2016 election, beat his competition, Hillary Clinton, easily with the Electoral College system, despite Clinton winning the popular vote, meaning she received more overall votes than Trump. Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. Why does the Electoral College exist if it can’t even take into account the popular vote 100 percent of the time? 1 decade ago. Proponents of the Electoral College say the system serves its purpose, despite the fact that the candidate who wins the popular vote doesn't always win the election. It is a complicated subject, and the fact that american citizens are generally uneducated about the constitution doesnt help at all. 2012-08-02 00:00:16 2012-08-02 00:00:16. - 2020 The Inquisitr. Some that are not happy with the election results are trying to present the case that the Electoral College isn’t a fair system and that it disenfranchises voters. Why Congress Doesn’t Work. Going to the popular vote would eliminate this issue altogether. Some states have a bigger population than others. If you’re suspected of a crime and everyone thinks you did it, the fact that the majority believes you’re guilty does not mean you will be put in prison, as you, the individual, have the right to a free trial. All of these instances, despite what the Democrats are now saying, are legitimate wins under the system the Founding Fathers put in place: the system of the Electoral College. Anonymous. I don’t mean that it doesn’t exist, but it is more apparent than real. California, Texas & New York would have too much power. Words by: Jesús del Toro. America’s founders did not want to be ruled by a corrupt government, which is largely why they decided to leave their home countries and find better lives on a different land. Asked by Wiki User. USA Today reports that there have been only five times in American history when a candidate won the election without winning the popular vote. The best answer I have heard is that popular vote would ensure that NYC, LA, and Chicago would pick the president every time, and smaller states would have no voice. The popular vote was very close in Florida; nevertheless Obama, who won that vote, got 29 electoral votes. One of the biggest reasons why voters don’t vote is because they feel like their vote doesn’t count. When given the freedom to choose, every state decided on a majority-vote system for statewide officers facing elections, as did every city. The Electoral College and how Popular Vote doesn’t Matter The electoral college is the institution that is responsible for selecting the President of the United States. In the US election, a candidate becomes president not by winning a majority of the national popular vote but through a system called the Electoral College, which allots electoral votes to the 50 states and the District of Columbia largely based on their population.. In fact, let’s tally up all the votes cast for president between 1932 and 2008. According to History Central, there are two reasons the U.S. voting system is different from other similarly governed countries. This means a President or Vice President can win a majority of individual votes on the national level, Specifically, the United States is a constitutional Republic, as there is a written constitution that acts as the law of the land and functions as a way to prevent the government from having too much power while putting the individual citizen’s rights above the will of the majority. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. This is … The Founding Fathers saw that electors would act as a buffer zone between the people and the candidates and help to eliminate the threat of fraud and/or any rigging. Source(s): CA resident. “The first purpose was to create a buffer between population and the selection of a President. The number of Congress representatives in a given state is equal to the number of electoral votes that state is granted. The lifestyle of the people living in one state might be completely different from the way people choose to live in a neighboring state, and these are the types of things that were taken into consideration when the Electoral College was established. The number of electors for a state is based upon the voting membership of that state in Congress i.e. In the U.S., the President and Vice President are elected by getting a majority of electoral college votes, they are not elected by popular vote. There are 538 total electors in the Electoral College, who are chosen by each state of the United Statesand by the District of Columbia (but not by other territories like Puerto Rico). Has the electoral system always worked? Stop saying this is how the system was designed to work. The candidates who won the popular vote have lost in the Electoral College in two out of the last six presidential elections. Wiki User Answered . Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but Benjamin Harrison won the Presidency with narrow victories in the states he carried and heavy losses in the states he lost. Most of the time, the popular vote and votes cast by the Electoral College method go hand-in-hand in granting a candidate the U.S. presidential victory. Where there is straight democracy, there can be no liberty unless laws are in place to preserve the rights of an individual. 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. 1 3. Amanda Trivizas Looks Smoking Hot In A Black Bikini, Kate Middleton’s Sister Pippa Is Reportedly Pregnant With Her Second Child, Abby Dowse Flashes Major Sideboob & Gives Fans A Peek Up Her Skirt In Smoking-Hot Instagram Share, Jessie J Poses In Bed In Nothing But Panties, Then Cries, Kristin Cavallari Shuts Down Rumors That She’s Dating Austen Kroll After Wild Night Out In Nashville, ‘Most Beautiful Girl In The World’ Thylane Blondeau Cosplays Tokyo From ‘Money Heist’, Pamela Anderson Runs In Skintight Swimsuit To Get Donald Trump’s Attention, Four Shocking ‘The Young And The Restless’ Weekly Spoilers: Phyllis Suspects Nick, Bella Thorne Rocks A Semi-Sheer Bodysuit With A G-String & Reveals Her ‘Back Acne’, Russian Model Evgeniya Lvovna Models Cheeky Skeleton-Hand Daisy Dukes, Pamela Anderson, 53, Goes Pantsless In Knee-High Boots While Sitting On A Log, Oprah Winfrey Shows Off Christmas Present From Meghan Markle, Says It Belongs On Her ‘Favorite Things’ List, Privacy Notice for Personal Data used for Interest-Based Advertising and Third-Party Marketing. All content © 2008 Watch: How does the electoral college work? For starters, NPV doesn’t guarantee greater ballot access for disenfranchised voters, which is a necessary component of expressing the popular will of voters writ large. It’s a system that was designed to work exactly as it did work when Donald Trump won the presidential election on November 8, 2016. Trump is obviously the most recent case, followed by George W. Bush in 2000, Benjamin Harrison in 1888, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, and John Quincy Adams in 1824. Presidential elections are run according to the Electoral College. Though the winner of the national popular vote typically takes the presidency, that vote failed to determine the winner in four elections: 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000.Some see the Electoral College as a peculiar and mystifying institution that ensures only a few, select individuals will ever cast a direct vote for president in the United States. So far, in United States history, the electoral vote has not reflected the popular vote results four times, which is almost 10 percent of the time. A victory by the same margin in Wyoming would net the winner only 3 electoral votes. Simply put, they wanted to be free, which is why they did everything in their power to stay away from creating a tyrannical governmental power, and part of their strategy in preventing such a system was implementing the Electoral College. Meanwhile the fact that Clinton won the popular vote by 2.8 million votes — a 2.1% lead nationally — is irrelevant. To be blunt, Clinton’s popular vote win is an illusion. In theory, if the U.S. declared the winner as whoever wins the popular vote, citizens living in states with the largest populations would play a huge part in electing the winner, which isn’t fair to the rest of the country, and this unfairness was something the Founding Fathers wanted to avoid. Amazingly, the Electoral College system has held up for over 200 years, with only a few adjustments since 1787. Why winning the US popular vote doesn’t ensure victory. This question comes up every time we have presidential elections. The electoral college was constructed with the aspects of a constitutional republic, where the majority do not rule, in mind, and that’s why the popular vote matters not in the United States presidential election. Answer. America’s framers deliberately designed it so presidents are not directly elected by voters. It all centers around the states in relation to the country as a whole. 3. Hence, the example given of a “lynch mob” cannot legally occur in a republic society. As we warned last week, the Electoral College is under fire with the first shot coming from Senator Barbara Boxer. This is a very popular … gary718 / shutterstock. Last Thursday’s GOP presidential debate was a doozy. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Some of the people who are angry about Donald Trump winning are arguing that it’s not “democratic” to allow the loser of the popular vote to win the election, but America isn’t a democracy. Since the end of WWII, there have been three presidential elections (four if you count 2000) in which a ~1% swing in the popular vote would have changed who became president (1960, 1968, 1976). Since Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election with a majority in the Electoral College but only a minority of the popular vote, ideas for somehow reforming the … 4. We need the smaller states to add sanity to the liberals. “Whatever the majority says goes! The second as part of the structure of the government that gave extra power to the smaller states.”. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. The popular vote is simply the total votes cast for each candidate across the whole of the United States. the number of representatives in the House plus the number of senators. That’s why, during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance we say, “and to the Republic, for which it stands,” instead of, “and to the Democracy, for which it stands.”. It’s a system that was designed to work exactly as it did work when Donald Trump won the presidential election on November 8, 2016. 1 2 3. 1 1. Some of the commercials weren’t bad, either. If your state elects three members to Congress, it supplies three electoral votes in the election. As the National Popular Vote (NPV) movement steps up its effort to impose a direct election for president, attempting to enlist states with a sufficient number of electors to constitute a majority (268) and to bind them to the winner of the national popular vote, those states considering the proposal might first reflect on the nightmare aftermath of the 2000 presidential election. A democracy is all about “majority rule,” according to albatrus.org. She insists that it’s time for the college to be eliminated. [Featured Image by Mark Makela/Getty Images]. A lynch mob is an example of pure democracy in action. Why doesn't the popular vote count? Ohio doesn't grant thirty electoral votes to Cuyahoga County and one to Vinton County (the state's smallest). There are a total of 435 Representatives and 100 Senators in Congress; so along with 3 … Popular vote would work, the politicians don't want it to though. It could encourage voter turnout. By Robert Schlesinger Managing Editor for Opinion Dec. 27, 2016, at 5:05 p.m. Not Your Founders' Electoral College In a republic, you as a single person have more rights than the whole of the population that lives around you. Popular vote counts. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. How the National Popular Vote Plan Would Work . Top Answer. It’s a republic, and there’s a difference. November 11, 2016 Thomas Van Government 0. If we opted for a popular vote system, candidates would only appeal to cities and states with the largest number of voters. 1 decade ago. But the national popular vote plan doesn’t require a majority of the popular votes, only a plurality — the most popular votes. There is only one dissenting vote, and that is cast by the person at the end of the rope.”. Throughout history, four presidents lost the popular vote but won the electoral: John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford Hayes in 1876, Benjamin Harrison in 1888 and George W. Bush in 2000. The candidate with the most votes across the nation is said to have won the popular vote. The Electoral College that was put in place by America’s Founding Fathers is getting quite a bit of attention at the moment. So, if you were to ask the men who formed the building blocks of the government Americans know today about Donald Trump’s win, they would no doubt say the winner of the popular vote is inconsequential, as it was purposely discounted when building the framework for presidential elections. It’s a legitimate question that involves a bit of history to understand. They wanted to avoid giving Americans the ability to directly choose their president, and the Electoral College did this by giving the outcome of the popular vote zero importance. The electoral college was constructed with the aspects of a constitutional republic, where the majority do not rule, in mind, and that’s why the popular vote matters not in the United States presidential election. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Anonymous. Under the popular vote, Americans have endured two centuries of elections where the presidential candidate who receives the most votes is also the winner. At least with the electoral college, while 3 votes may be small potatoes in the grand scheme, small states like VT, NH, and the like have some sort of impact. Why The Popular Vote Doesn’t Matter.