Electoral College remains relevant
Recent letters by readers and many others since the 2000 election have challenged the existence of the Electoral College.
Most strike a theme such as Mr. Kevin Martin's of April 22. Mr. Martin's outlook on this is understandable but grounded in a great misconception - that the president is elected in a single national election.
Mr. Martin and others opposed to the Electoral College fail to understand that this has never been the case, that there are 50 elections for president, one in each state.
There is a genius in the system of checks and balances, based on the fact the United States is a union of 50 individual states.
The system the Founding Fathers created recognizes that the electorate's concerns and issues differ regionally, and that aggregating them into a broader singular vote makes those issues less evident and more abstract.
Those who want to dismantle the college do not comprehend this. They make emotional, apparently well reasoned appeals to dismiss the college as being based on outdated, 200-plus-year-old ideas.
A meaningful and full appreciation and debate of the election process is not possible without reading the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, especially 10, 26, 68 (The Mode of Electing the President), 84, and 85.
Other than the 18th Century language, it is amazing how the papers authors' concerns about mass appeal and political group-think apply to the current election cycle.
The papers point out how the college system is intended to work. Read them. Get informed. You will be amazed at how 18th Century concerns and wisdom are still relevant today. The system is not broken or outdated - it is simply misunderstood.
Jeff Grady
Palatine