LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Answer one question about the Electoral College

I take exception to something George Roof intimated in his letter to the Delaware State News as printed on Jan. 3 (“Why is Electoral College so hard to understand?”). I presume, having decided that not all those opposed to the Electoral College, such as myself, are liberals and socialists, he is now calling advocates of the popular vote precedence anti-constitutionalists. Excuse me; I support no other dissolution of the Electoral College but through a constitutional amendment and have stated before that isn’t likely to happen in my lifetime, and certainly not without civil strife. I enjoyed Frank Daniels’ opinion letter (“The election, the future of our nation and Delaware”) printed in the Delaware State News Jan. 2 edition. It was a well-crafted letter written by a man of some vision, and perhaps, that’s why he is so apprehensive about the future. Then again, perhaps I’m transferring my own anxieties to him. I took no real exception to anything Mr. Daniels wrote; he is entitled to his opinion about the Electoral College, as I am entitled to mine. Neither of these gentlemen has yet to answer the question I have posed here a couple of times in a couple of ways, and so, once again, I will rephrase that query. When someone can satisfactorily answer my question, I may, after due consideration, deign to their position. How does the popular vote precedence make the election any less representative of the majority will of the voters, and thereby equal to all? And please stop harping about the lone closet conservative out there in California. I personally do not know anyone in that state, and yet, can name two off the top of my head. The arguments of those who support the Electoral College, in essence, say we’re all too stupid to have any real control over who is elected, and that a smaller sampling of society should be representative of everyone. Keep in mind that smaller sampling of society, by their reduced numbers, are easier to manipulate and intimidate. Some people rabidly complain about ballot box stuffing, but I haven’t heard one word out of anyone on this page about the bribes that have been paid to “electors,” although someone mentioned the contrary ones who do not observe the popular vote count of their states (because they enjoy the luxury of voting their consciences). No one is answering my question; instead, they are trying to explain to me what I already know about the Electoral College. I disagree with them, and they are not impressing someone such as myself, who has thought about this situation for a very long time before stating my position for the record. I said it before: although I am not a conspiracy theorist, I do believe that the Electoral College is a perfect tool for some backroom pirates to use in controlling who attains the Oval Office, utterly disregarding the “popular” will of the people. I employ the word “pirate” because at least one of them signed the Constitution. He would have known all about the one “man” (there were many more women on pirate ships and a few who actually had shares than we’re taught about in school), one “vote” precedence, which was honored by most pirate captains (who were often elected to their posts). Therefore, answer the question, because nothing except a sound answer is going to come close to changing my mind or stop me from voicing my opinion.

Carol Hotte Felton