Letter: Electoral College keeps it fair

Regarding the fairness of the Electoral College system, there is confusion over how party candidates for president are chosen versus how a president is elected.

During the Constitutional Convention, the smaller states were concerned that a system that relied on popular votes would give too much power to the large states. The compromise was a law-making entity consisting of two bodies, one with an equal number of representatives from each state, called the Senate; and another with the number of representatives to be determined by population count (equal power to citizens), called the House of Representatives.

Article II of the Constitution defined, similarly, the method for electing the president (and vice president). The president is elected by the Electoral College, which consists of one representative for each Senator plus one for each Representative. This continues to protect the interests of small states and avoids having the president chosen by California and New York, for example.

Selecting candidates for president is very different. The political party in each state makes the rules for that state. That’s why it’s a mess. Some states have caucuses, some elect delegates. Some are required to vote for the candidate (pledged), some are not bound (super delegates). In some states the majority winner gets all the votes, in some the votes are divided proportionally. In some, only party members can participate; in others, anyone can. One could certainly argue that system is a mess and could use overhauling.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Letter: Electoral College keeps it fair."