I’d like to submit a really subversive, radical idea to the people of Maine today: What if each citizen had one equivalent vote for each election? What if our president were elected by one vote per person? What if our federal legislative body were selected by one vote from each citizen?

Instead, citizens from Maine, Vermont, Wyoming and other low-population states have way, way more voting clout than those from more populous states. This gives undue legislative weight to minority opinions. The Senate does not represent us equally or even close to equally. Wyoming has a little more than half a million people and two senators. California has about 39 million people and two senators. Does that seem fair to you? This inequity also applies to the Electoral College distribution of votes.

Instead, even though the majority of Americans want affordable health care, women’s right to choose, immigrants’ rights, high-quality educational opportunities, LGTBQ rights, clean air and water and equal rights for all, our divided Congress can pass nothing. They do not truly represent us.

This is the radical change we need. The Constitution is not perfect. It was written to preserve slave owners’ rights, and it worked. Now it is keeping majority opinion from being correctly represented. One vote per person. Equal representation in Congress. That is democracy.

Valerie Rasza
Gray

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