I have to say, I agree with Donald Trump. The 2020 election was rigged, but not for the absurdities he spouted. How many other “democracies” have “swing voters,” “battleground states,” and “third-party spoilers?” Why was the 2020 election decided by 44,000 votes in only three states, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona, according to NPR Radio?

The answer, of course, is that the system is rigged, and the United States is not a democracy. The constitution was written to establish a republic, in which some people were counted as 2/3 of a person for purposes of representation but a majority of people were not permitted to vote. It was not much interested in individual freedom or equal representation, but in preserving the rights of the states in a relationship much like the European Union, with a common currency, common defense, but individual governments within that union.

With the addition of nearly universal suffrage, we have advanced toward the ideals of democracy, but we are not there yet.

It is an inconvenient truth that the votes of citizens in this country do not count equally in the presidential election. The votes of people in Nevada count more than the votes of people in New York, thanks to the Electoral College.

Even if the Electoral College were eliminated (which would take a constitutional amendment), the system would still not be truly representative of the will of the majority because of the “two-party system.” Politicians will not let that happen. They know how to play the game, as it is rigged now.

The only way to have truly majority support for the president and vice president is to eliminated the control of the political parties choosing the candidates who may be on the ballot, allow open elections with all candidates who choose to run, then put the top four on the fall ballot; and require a majority of the votes to win — over 50% of the votes. I know no one ever wins over 50%, but with ranked-choice counting, someone would, and it would be a fairer representation of the people’s will.

Political parties would still be able to hold conventions to decide whom they wanted to endorse, but ballots would not be limited to one candidate belonging to each party, and voters would have more choices. Each person is an individual, and party affiliation does not adequately describe their positions on all issues.

Open elections would require candidates to appeal to everyone, and since voters are all individuals with diverse views, they would not get away with campaigning on slogans and sound bites. In the current kerfuffle, the Democratic Party could just put up another candidate if they no longer want to support President Joe Biden.

That’s the prescription if we really want to live in a democracy, a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Judith Truesdell lives in Shelburne.