Letters to the Editor: How the electoral college has thwarted democracy

To the editor: Sixty-seven years ago, I asked my mother what “democracy” was. She said the people vote to decide things and the one with the most votes wins. (“Democrats despise the electoral college. Perhaps they should get over that,” July 14)

Forty-five years ago, I said to a classmate that the electoral college should be abolished. Her reply was, “Oh, no, I believe in safeguards.” I asked what it safeguarded, and there was silence.

Seven years ago, during lunch with a colleague, I suggested we abolish the electoral college. He disagreed, so I asked why would 80,000 votes in Wisconsin matter more than a million votes in California. He had no answer.

President Biden beat former President Trump by about 7 million votes. But if thousands of votes in a couple of states had been different, Trump might be in the White House now. So, Biden could have had 6.9 million more votes than Trump and still lost.

That isn’t how a democracy is supposed to work.

Michele McDonough, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Keeping the electoral college entrenches calcified party lines. Democrats, and Republicans, have to decide whether we want to choose presidents in a truly democratic fashion or pit urban against rural or blue against red states.

If a political party can’t win a simple majority of the vote on the strength of their arguments, resorting to manipulation of electoral counts isn’t going to make their vision more acceptable or workable.

About 40% of voters are independents. In our current system their voice cannot be heard. For that reason alone, many people don’t vote.

Presidents elected without the popular vote supporting them have been disastrous failures. I would rather believe in democracy than cheat the system, as we do now.

Barbara Snider, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: Another major factor that adds to the anti-democratic problems with the electoral college is the winner-take-all rule, which is used by all states except Nebraska and Maine.

In those two states, the electoral vote corresponding to a congressional district follows the popular vote in that district. The two votes corresponding to the senators are cast according to the statewide popular vote.

Although not perfect, this method gives some semblance of democracy.

John Lane, Stanton