One addition to the insightful “My Turn” by Judy Truesdale (Feb. 24): There is a way to fix the broken Electoral College besides passing changes at a Constitutional Convention.
The New York Times best-selling writer, David Brin points out: “This [electoral college] system is far from natural or required. In nearly every state, electors are awarded all-or-nothing because state legislatures — generally controlled by one party — have forced unanimity onto their state’s dissenting minorities. They have done this simply because they can.”
The Constitution allows states to decide how they award their electoral votes, so if enough require their electors to vote for the winner of the nationwide popular vote (instead of the candidate that won in that state), we could solve the problems with the Electoral College without needing to amend the Constitution.
The nonprofit, “Common Cause” has introduced “The National Popular Vote Compact,” an agreement among the states to guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular vote as soon as 270 electors (a majority) join the pact. At least 15 states and the District of Columbia have joined the pact already, which gives us 196 electors. So that means finding 75 more from the states that will support The National Popular Vote Compact” is needed for a majority!
To help Common Cause, contact: commoncause.org/national-popular-vote to support the campaign and see which states have supported it so far. (Hint: Massachusetts is one of them.) And while you are on their website, sign up to ” help protect the vote!”
Pam Kelly
Greenfield