Messages in my in-box are urging abolition of the Electoral College. (There are other suggestions, too.) As best as I can tell these suggestions are not coming from Constitutional experts, or even historians. They appear to be coming from various interest groups. Well-meaning though they may be, these suggestions are -- dangerous.
Here's why. As regular readers of this blog know, there were all kinds of shenanigans, mostly among Republican operatives in the 2016 election. Eventually, they were able to suppress and "lose" enough votes -- in states with Republican Secretaries of State -- to make it appear that D. Trump won in the Electoral College. But, think for a moment. Does the fact that vote-stealing thugs were able to "disappear" over 70,000 votes in primarily black districts in Detroit mean the Electoral College should be abolished? That's like saying the home-owner should be jailed because he forgot to lock his house and a thief got in and stole the family jewels.
An even worse idea is for states -- instead of following the will of its voters -- to follow the will of other states and declare all Electoral votes as bound to whoever is announced as the winner nation-wide. Think what would happen in a situation as happened in Florida in 2000. Think about the stolen elections of 2004, and 2016.
No, the short story is that we must clean up the corruption in elections at all levels and stages. This means federal and state financing of all elections, along with limited free air time for worthy candidates determined under a pre-arranged system as specified by law.
We can have fair elections, but not if we pin the tail on the wrong donkey.
Here's why. As regular readers of this blog know, there were all kinds of shenanigans, mostly among Republican operatives in the 2016 election. Eventually, they were able to suppress and "lose" enough votes -- in states with Republican Secretaries of State -- to make it appear that D. Trump won in the Electoral College. But, think for a moment. Does the fact that vote-stealing thugs were able to "disappear" over 70,000 votes in primarily black districts in Detroit mean the Electoral College should be abolished? That's like saying the home-owner should be jailed because he forgot to lock his house and a thief got in and stole the family jewels.
An even worse idea is for states -- instead of following the will of its voters -- to follow the will of other states and declare all Electoral votes as bound to whoever is announced as the winner nation-wide. Think what would happen in a situation as happened in Florida in 2000. Think about the stolen elections of 2004, and 2016.
No, the short story is that we must clean up the corruption in elections at all levels and stages. This means federal and state financing of all elections, along with limited free air time for worthy candidates determined under a pre-arranged system as specified by law.
We can have fair elections, but not if we pin the tail on the wrong donkey.
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