Letter to the Editor 12.23.2016

I am appalled at the suggestion by a loud minority that the Electoral College be abolished.
I did not vote for Donald Trump in the recent presidential election. However, I think a little context is in order.
The Electoral College was established to protect the “small” states from the “big” states. Today that means it gives the “Mayberrys” and the rural folks of America at least a fighting chance in deciding elections. A numerical majority of voters live in the big cities, and generally tend to have a different world view and set of ideals than people in small-town America.
Electoral votes are apportioned to each state based on how many Congressional districts a state has, which is based on population, plus its two US Senators. In Missouri that totals 10 electoral votes. When citizens vote for the president they are actually voting for electors committed to a particular candidate.
California has 55 electoral votes. No matter how many people in Los Angeles and San Francisco vote for one particular presidential candidate over another, the most electoral votes that can possibly be awarded to a candidate is 55. Most people in Missouri, which has a much smaller population, and thus far fewer electoral votes, don’t think quite the same as people in California do. But combine Missouri’s electoral votes with that of other smaller states and the rural and small-town people of Missouri have at least a chance in helping decide who the next president will be.
Otherwise, if the choice of president was based strictly on the popular vote, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York City and the other major cities, where a majority of the voters live, would pick the president every single election. Do you want that? The framers of the US Constitution knew what they were doing. Leave it alone.
Wes Franklin
Neosho, Mo.