Embrace the constitution

Dear Editor,

In response to the recent election, there has been a wave of sentiment across the nation that the electoral college is somehow inherently unfair.

I was by no means a Donald Trump enthusiast; however, I embrace the fundamental constitutional process - as written. It seems as if Liberals are currently clamoring for the abolishment of our electoral process in favor of something more, say, democratic. I take issue with the idea of reducing our elections to a simple popular vote for several reasons.

The founding framers decided to make our nation a republic (and not a pure democracy) to save people from themselves. Each portion of federal government is inherently checked and balanced, merely yet extraordinarily due to the nature of its construction.

The Electoral College is no exception. It strives, like the Constitution that has been so largely ignored of late, to keep power compartmentalized. Electors are divided by state, thereby ensuring that even the smallest and most rural of states are still represented. It gives margins to victories, thus further legitimizing election outcomes. Could you imagine a purely popular vote that was close?

The demands for recounts at the state level are already high enough. The electoral process even allows electors (so-called faithless electors) to select the candidates they see most fit to govern, independent of their constituents' voices - although many states have made this act illegal, punishable by a fine. If you think the electoral college is unfair, you must also think that the states' representation in the two houses of Congress is unfair, for their representation among them is the same …

To borrow a quote from my father: "Saying 'but XYZ won the popular vote …' is like saying Team X won the cumulative score in the World Series instead of saying that Team Y won 4 out of 7 games."

In Liberty,

Alexander Brush

Franklin Township