Letters to the Editor | Nov. 5, 2024

It’s time to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: Our vaunted democracy is a myth. Our system of government is not now nor has it ever been a true democracy. We are currently teetering on the brink of yet one more presidential election in which it is more than possible that one candidate may win the popular vote but lose the election. The Electoral College, which makes this possible, is an archaic element of our Constitution that was intended to limit those who were qualified to vote: white, landed men. It is egregiously outdated, yet continues to greatly impact our system of governance. Essentially, it serves as a means of disenfranchising millions of voters despite their legal rights.

While the Founding Fathers did incorporate a means of modifying or correcting perceived failings of our founding document, the likelihood of a constitutional amendment to rectify this system is unlikely to be realized in my lifetime. I nevertheless strongly believe it is way past time to at least consider doing so. Should the 2024 presidential election prove my point, it will, once again, cast doubt on the efficacy of our electoral system.

Gary Kaplan, Warwick

Recently, there have been several articles and letters advocating for the abolishment of the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote for president. One of the arguments is that abolishment would eliminate the undue attention and money spent on the so-called swing states. I support keeping a reformed Electoral College for two fundamental reasons originating from the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

First, the framers of the Constitution decided that Americans would govern its democracy through a republican form of government — hence, the idea of state representatives casting ballots for president and vice president. Originally, these representatives were allowed to vote their conscience or that of the voters they represented. Changes to state laws resulted in every state except Maine and Nebraska adopting a winner-takes-all approach to casting electoral votes.

Second, the Great Compromise of the Constitutional Convention resulted in the bicameral Congress giving states equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House. Abolishment of the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote would give large, populous Democratic states like New York and California undue influence. As such, voters (whether Democratic or Republican) in small, less populated states would be effectively disenfranchised. Instead, reform the Electoral College to follow Maine and Nebraska, where electoral votes are awarded by congressional district with two votes awarded to the overall winner of the popular vote in that state. This would eliminate the concept of swing states while giving Republicans a chance to win electoral votes in California, and similarly for Democrats in Texas.

Taylor McCormick, Drexel Hill

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