On December 9, 2020

Time to revamp the electoral college

Dear Editor,

The debate has started again as to whether the U.S. Constitution should be amended in order to change the presidential election process.

Some promote eliminating the electoral college in favor of a direct popular vote for president while others believe the electoral college should remain unchanged.

Just as compromise solved the initial problems of the framers so it is that compromise can solve this problem.  The solution is to change the electoral votes to electoral points and reward each candidate a percentage of points based on the percentage of popular votes received in each state.

This would eliminate the “winner take all” system, thus, allowing for all the votes to count.

A voter is more apt to believe their vote counted when a percentage of popular votes are taken into account rather than the “all or nothing” system currently in existence.

Further, this new system would integrate the desire for a popular vote for president with the need for the individual states to determine who actually gets elected.

For 2020 multiplying the percentage of votes each candidate received (in each state) times the number of electoral votes (in each state) results in the following: Biden 267.23 and Trump 252.33.  Multiplying the percentage of popular votes each candidate received (nationwide) times the total number of electoral votes (538) results in the following: Biden 274.92 and Trump 253.40.

Joe Bialek,

Cleveland, Ohio

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Chris Brown announces candidacy for Vt House

May 1, 2024
Dear Editor, I’m Chris Brown and I’m running to represent Castleton in the Vermont House of Representatives. I’m proud and excited at the prospect of representing the citizens of my hometown in the Legislature. I’m a lifelong resident of Castleton and a 10 generation Vermonter. I feel my decades of business experience and my Republican…

Joys of being outside, fishing

May 1, 2024
Dear Editor, Yesterday was so magnificent. Found myself again spiritually through the power of being in nature. Plenty of places along the way to stop and throw a line but fell to the wanderization of what lay ahead. Just curious if I could get to the bend that I could see ahead. I wondered about…

Why we should all supportAct 127

May 1, 2024
Dear Editor, In Vermont we hold the belief that every child should have access to an equitable education. Though this promise is a constitutional right, in reality it’s been challenging to fulfill given the outdated funding mechanisms that have historically governed our schools. As a member of both the Burlington School Board and the Coalition…

Taking a beat on education funding reform

May 1, 2024
By Jack Hoffman Editor’s note: Jack Hoffman is Senior Analyst at Public Assets Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit organization based in Montpelier. He is a resident of Marshfield currently living in France. A projected jump in school taxes next year has everyone’s hair on fire in Montpelier. But before taking drastic action, legislators and the administration…