The demands for elimination of the Electoral College in order to “make our vote count” are misguided. In point of fact, the Electoral College gives us all a greater voice and was created on the same model as the House of Representatives, for the same reason.
Consider this: The election was called in Donald Trump’s favor early last Wednesday, when it was finally determined that he had carried Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes. As recently as this past weekend, the Press Herald was reporting a total of 290 votes for the Republican candidate, with 270 necessary to gain the election.
Suppose Pennsylvania had gone the other way? Mr. Trump would still have prevailed with 270 votes, in which case it could have been said that the single electoral vote from northern Maine put him over the top!
Unless we want our national elections determined solely by New York and California, we are all better off with the Electoral College left in place (although, as with everything else, modifications and adjustments may very well be desirable).
Michael A. Smith
Wells
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