Electoral College protects democracy

"Electoral College worked then, but not now" misses the point. The Electoral College prevents tyranny of the majority. The Founding Fathers of the U.S. were more concerned about the nation being controlled by "factions," than the fear of an individual "tyrant" being elected president. The U.S. Constitution, founded on the principles of the separation of powers and checks and balances, prevents one branch of government from overpowering another. The Electoral College rests upon giving smaller states an equal voice in electing the President, which is the basis of the American Democracy today.

Without the Electoral College, a presidential candidate will only need to campaign in larger populated states (New York, California and Texas). Meanwhile, smaller states, such as Wyoming, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, would be ignored. Also, rural communities would lose influence to larger urban cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Thus, Cook County and the so-called "state of Chicago" would dominate the rest of Illinois during presidential elections.

A better title would, perhaps, be "the presidency worked then, and now." If the author is so interested in democracy, then why not abolish the presidential system altogether in favor of a parliamentary system similar to Great Britain and Canada. Instead of high-profile candidates, such as Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, campaigning across the nation to win the votes of the people, American politics would be Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy campaigning in a few congressional districts to be elected as the prime minister. The election would be over in a few months, rather than the yearlong affairs they are today.

The Electoral college ensures the best person wins the presidency. Getting rid of it only harms our democracy, not enhances it. Abolish it and the United States of America will cease to exist.

Kevin Halpin

Bartlett