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Readers React: Give purple voters some power in the electoral college

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To the editor: Joshua Spivak is correct that Donald Trump wouldn’t have a chance as a third-party presidential candidate, but he should not have included the pabulum that a purple “independent candidate is at best a spoiler.” (“Why Donald Trump won’t run as a spoiler candidate,” Opinion, Dec. 28)

A small handful of purple electoral delegates in Florida could have changed the outcome of the 2000 presidential election; those in swing states could sway future contests.

Spivak notes that just 10% of the population doesn’t lean to either of the two major parties. What he should have asked and answered is why this truly purple 10% is unable to elect any delegates in the electoral college.

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We purples deserve some percentage of the political din, but currently we receive nothing. With some exposure in a swing state, maybe a purple electoral delegate can be elected and then negotiate with the national blue candidate for more government efficiency or with the red candidate for less militarism.

John Ellinwood, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Given the unbelievable amount of coverage of the innane remarks of Donald Trump, and given the importance of name recognition in the popularity contest called an election, if my name was mentioned in your pages and in the rest of the media as many times as Trump’s, I could be ahead in the polls.

I do not pretend to be a viable candidate, but I am able to bring forth ideas as ridiculous and hurtful as Trump has.

The media have given us Trump and his candidacy, embarrassments to our country in the eyes of the world.

Leonard A. Zivitz, Fullerton

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