Letter to the Editor, The Redmond (OR) Spokesman

Rebutting the Call to Eliminate Our Functioning Electoral College

To the Editor:

Regarding Aron Solomon's (June 19) advocacy for eliminating the Electoral College:

The Oregon Legislature took us over this cliff in 2019 when they passed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC).  Amazingly, our Legislature and Governor GAVE AWAY the CONTROL of who chooses Oregon's 10 presidential Electors - to NON-Oregonians!

That this is not well known is not surprising since it got virtually no media coverage. The plan calls for enough states to join the Compact to equal 270 electoral votes - the number needed to elect a President. If that happens, Compact state borders and sovereignty would become meaningless. Election irregularities in ANY Compact state would become the problem of EVERY Compact state. Non-Compact states would retain their voice, but ostensibly it wouldn't matter. Imagine a two-tiered election system in which every single contest gets decided by the courts.

The United States is a Federation of Sovereign States
   
America is NOT a democracy ... it never has been. We are a Constitutional Republic, a Federation with built-in State sovereignty. Our Founders recognized, from a deep study of history, the truth of Ben Franklin's statement: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what's for dinner."

Yes, we conduct elections via a one-person/one vote process, with every State conducting TWO popular elections for president - a Primary to nominate Party candidates, and a General election. And POTUS stands for "President of the UNITED STATES."

The miracle of our election infrastructure is the recognition that each of us lives in a STATE. If we come to be dissatisfied over how our state is operated, we can work to reform the state or relocate to a state that would treat us differently. Each state has the number of electoral votes to equal their representation in Congress, where seats in the House of Representatives are proportional to population. Makeup of the Senate is intentionally equal because no state has a greater or lesser right to exist than any other state.

They Can't Get an Amendment Passed; So They Opt for this NPV Contract

Consider our non-popular vote election model alongside the World Series in any sport. Imagine, Team A wins Game One by a score of 30-zero, and loses the next 4 games to Team B by a score of 2-1. Who wins the series? Our system is designed so the winning candidate must secure support in multiple States and regions of the country.  Any change to the Constitution requires a Constitutional amendment. Since NPVIC founder and Californian John Koza knows his scheme will never get the required support of three-fourths of the States (38), he pushes this stunt instead - the ends justifying the means.

Just a few years ago, Koza threw $100,000 against 10-term Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Keizer) when he ran for re-election because Koza resented Courtney wanting the NPVIC question referred to Oregon voters. But since then, Koza has changed his tune and now pushes initiatives in other states as it suits his purpose - the ends justify the means. 

The Electoral College is Inherently FAIR

People may not know that since 1904 (Teddy Roosevelt) through 2020 (Joe Biden), the Electoral College has led to the election of an equal number of GOP and Democrat presidents. Some have been pretty good, some not so much (IMHO). But every one of them knew the rules of the game. And every voter has the same responsibility. The winning candidate is the one who finds favor among multiple regions and constituents. Moreover, State “battlegrounds” are simply those where it takes people longer to decide who they will support. 

Popular Election of the Chief Executive is NOT the Worldwide Norm

As for "the erosion of democratic norms worldwide," here is the List of Countries who chose their executive by popular vote: Angola, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Honduras, Iceland, Kiribati, Malawi, Mexico, Nicaragua, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Tanzania and Venezuela. 

Of this list, 11 have populations under 10 million. The remaining are either monolithic, unstable, and/or dictatorships. NONE covers multiple time zones and represents 350 million-plus people.

By any measure, this is NOT who America is. 


Roberta Schlechter
Portland, OR

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