A24 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST . WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ABCDE [email protected] AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER The broken electoral college Regarding George F. Will’s Aug. 29 op-ed, “The electoral college is here to stay”: EDITORIALS Democrats are less concerned that four of the five popular-vote losers who became president were Republicans than they are with making every vote count equally. Do something, Mr. McConnell Because of the winner-takes-all nature of picking electoral delegates in most states, the electoral college creates a paradox where both the minority in When the Senate returns from its Labor Day recess, it must act on guns. a state and the majority across the nation can have either no or insufficient representation, respectively. ODOLFO JULIO ARCO, 57; Kameron Karltess Brown, 30; Raul Garcia, safety? Would any volume of bloodshed convince the Kentucky Republican that If abolishing the electoral college or signing on to the 35; Mary Granados, 29; Joseph Griffith, 40; Leilah Hernandez, 15; Edwin Congress faces a moral imperative to act? Thirty-eight people were slain in three National Popular Vote compact does not appeal to Peregrino, 25. such shootings in August — in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, as well as West Texas — some, there is a third way to move closer to vote Add those seven individuals, randomly slaughtered Saturday by a and still Senate Republicans and President Trump refuse to act. equality: apportion delegates in all states according Rshooter in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa, to the toll of those lost to The list below, far from comprehensive, is tragic, in part, because it is so far to voting percentages for each candidate. America’s gun insanity. And then pose this question: from inevitable. No, no single law would end gun violence. But there are Thomas Jefferson and James Madison advocated What if there was a mass shooting in the United States not once or twice or reasonable, obvious measures that would help. reform to government “whenever it be found ad- four or six times monthly, but every single day, a big one, the kind that electrifies For example: Ban the sale of military-grade assault weapons. Unneeded by verse or inadequate to the purposes of its institu- social media and squats for days on Page 1 — would that be enough to move civilians, they are a blight on the nation, their ready availability a national tion.” Since the Constitution’s ratification in 1788, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from his insistent inertia on gun disgrace. Eliminating them would slow the growth of this list. It would save lives. five amendments have been necessary to secure voting rights for citizens. A sixth is now needed to establish vote equality. April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in TOM TOLES Art Vidrine, Hyattsville Littleton, Colo.: Cassie Bernall, 17; Steven Curnow, 14; Corey DePooter, 17; Kelly Fleming, 16; Matthew Is one person, one vote really so dangerous? If I Kechter, 16; Daniel Mauser, 15; Daniel Rohrbough, vote red in a blue state, my vote doesn’t count; if I 15; William “Dave” Sanders, 47; Rachel Scott, 17; vote blue in a red state, my vote doesn’t count. I don’t Isaiah Shoels, 18; John Tomlin, 16; Lauren give a damn how my state votes, but I do care that my Townsend, 18; Kyle Velasquez, 16. vote counts. George F. Will asserted that the electoral college Dec. 26, 2000, at Edgewater Technology in encourages national campaigning. What incentive Wakefield, Mass.: Jennifer Bragg Capobianco, 29; does a blue candidate have to campaign in a deeply Janice Hagerty, 46; Louis “Sandy” Javelle, 58; Rose red state and vice versa? On the other hand, if every Manfredi, 48; Paul Marceau, 36; Cheryl Troy, 50; vote counts, there is every incentive to campaign Craig Wood, 29. nationally. Federalist 68, in defense of the electoral college, March 21, 2005, at Red Lake High School on the states that “the process of election affords a moral Red Lake Indian Reservation in Red Lake, Minn.: certainty, that the office of President will never fall to Derrick Brun, 28; Dewayne Lewis, 15; Chase Lussier, the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree 15; Daryl Lussier, 58; Neva Rogers, 62; Chanelle endowed with the requisite qualifications” and that Rosebear, 15; Michelle Sigana, 32; Thurlene Stillday, “it will not be too strong to say, that there will be a 15; Alicia White, 15. constant probability of seeing the station filled by characters pre-eminent for ability and virtue.” Did Oct. 2, 2006, at an Amish schoolhouse in the 2016 election meet these expectations? Lancaster County, Pa.: Naomi Ebersol, 7; Marian Derwood Staeben, Arlington Stoltzfus Fisher, 13; Lena Zook Miller, 7; Mary Liz Miller, 8; Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12. Although principled opposition to the elector- al college has picked up steam since the elections of April 16, 2007, at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, George W. Bush (2000) and Donald Trump (2016), it Va.: Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20; Christopher is not new. Granted, some of the current criticism, as James “Jamie” Bishop, 35; Brian Bluhm, 25; Ryan George F. Will wrote, is grounded in fierce opposi- Clark, 22; Austin Cloyd, 18; Jocelyne Couture- tion to Mr. Trump’s reelection in 2020, but that isn’t Nowak, 49; Daniel Perez Cueva, 21; Kevin Granata, the only reason to challenge this non-majoritarian 46; Matthew G. Gwaltney, 24; Caitlin Hammaren, 19; anachronism. Superficially, the electoral college Jeremy Herbstritt, 27; Rachael Elizabeth Hill, 18; gives more influence to 32 “advantaged” states that Emily Hilscher, 19; Jarrett Lane, 22; Matthew J. La have proportionately more electoral votes than Porte, 20; Henry Lee, 20; Liviu Librescu, 76; G.V. Lo- population — and is usually cited as a reason, by ganathan, 51; Partahi Lumbantoruan, 34; Lauren Mr. Will and others, that those states, mostly red and McCain, 20; Daniel O’Neil, 22; Juan Ramon Ortiz, heavily rural, oppose its abolition. 26; Minal Panchal, 26; Erin Peterson, 18; Michael While that might be the perception, the assertion Pohle, 23; Julia Pryde, 23; Mary Read, 19; Reema of extra influence is questionable. Few of those states Samaha, 18; Waleed Shaalan, 32; Leslie Sherman, are competitive states to which presidential candi- 20; Maxine Turner, 22; Nicole R. White, 20. dates must appeal in elections. Why should voters in noncompetitive states take the time to vote for Dec. 5, 2007, at the Westroads Mall in Omaha: president when there’s virtually no chance their Beverly Flynn, 47; Janet Jorgensen, 66; Gary Joy, 56; Tenn.: Carson A. Holmquist, 25; Randall Smith, 26; Marshall, 56; Karen Sue Marshall, 56; Tara E. Mc- votes will matter? John McDonald, 65; Gary Scharf, 48; Angie Schuster, Thomas J. Sullivan, 40; Squire K. “Skip” Wells, 21; Nulty, 33; Annabelle Renae Pomeroy, 14; Ricardo In addition to allowing a president to be chosen by 36; Dianne Trent, 53; Maggie Webb, 24. David A. Wyatt, 35. Cardona Rodriguez, 64; Therese Sagan Rodriguez, a minority, the electoral college can also demotivate 66; Brooke Bryanne Ward, 5; Joann Lookingbill citizens from voting — two good reasons to support April 3, 2009, at the American Civic Associa- Oct. 1, 2015, at a community college in Rose- Ward, 30; Peggy Lynn Warden, 56; Lula Woicinski the National Popular Vote initiative. tion immigration services center in Binghamton, burg, Ore.: Lucero Alcaraz, 19; Treven Taylor Ans- White, 71. Sid Groeneman, Bethesda N.Y.: Parveen Nln Ali, 26; Almir O. Alves, 43; Marc pach, 20; Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18; Quinn Glen Henry Bernard, 44; Maria Sonia Bernard, 46; Hai Cooper, 18; Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59; Lucas Eibel, 18; Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas There are many reasons to get rid of the Hong Zhong, 54; Hong Xiu Mao, 35; Jiang Ling, 22; Jason Dale Johnson, 33; Lawrence Levine, 67; High School in Parkland, Fla.: Alyssa Alhadeff, 14; electoral college. However, the most important Layla Khalil, 57; Roberta King, 72; Lan Ho, 39; Sarena Dawn Moore, 44. Scott Beigel, 35; Martin Duque, 14; Nicholas Dworet, reason is that it is not working the way the Founders Li Guo, 47; Dolores Yigal, 53; Maria Zobniw, 60. 17; Aaron Feis, 37; Jaime Guttenberg, 14; Chris Hixon, intended. Having just thrown off the rule of one June 12, 2016, at Pulse nightclub in Orlando: 49; Luke Hoyer, 15; Cara Loughran, 14; Gina Montal- powerful person, the founders worried that another Nov. 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Tex.: Stanley Almodovar III, 23; Amanda L. Alvear, 25; to, 14; Joaquin Oliver, 17; Alaina Petty, 14; Meadow unscrupulous person could take power in this new Michael Grant Cahill, 62; Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, Oscar A. Aracena Montero, 26; Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, Pollack, 18; Helena Ramsay, 17; Alex Schachter, 14; country. Therefore, the electors were supposed to 52; Justin Michael DeCrow, 32; John P. Gaffaney, 56; 33; Antonio Davon Brown, 29; Darryl Roman Burt Carmen Schentrup, 16; Peter Wang, 15. evaluate those running for the presidency and not Frederick Greene, 29; Jason Dean Hunt, 22; Amy II, 29; Angel Candelario-Padro, 28; Juan Chavez vote in a power-hungry fool. The electoral college is S. Krueger, 29; Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19; Michael Martinez, 25; Luis Daniel Conde, 39; Cory James May 18, 2018, at Santa Fe High School in Santa not working. S. Pearson, 22; Russell Seager, 51; Francheska Velez, Connell, 21; Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25; Deonka Deidra Fe, Tex.: Jared Black, 17; Shana Fisher, 16; Christian Ironic, isn’t it? 21; Juanita L. Warman, 55; Kham See Xiong, 23. Drayton, 32; Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández, 31; Riley Garcia, 15; Aaron Kyle McLeod, 15; Glenda Ann Leta Mach, Greenbelt Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25; Mercedez Marisol Perkins, 64; Angelique Ramirez, 15; Sabika Sheikh, Jan.