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Letter: Vote ‘no’ on Proposition 113

A common fallacy about America is that we are a democracy. We are a constitutional republic, and America’s Founding Fathers had no intention of creating a majority-rule democracy. They understood that pure democracies do not work; they destroy themselves.

Benjamin Franklin aptly declared, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.” In other words, pure majorities can easily tyrannize the minority. Therefore, we have three branches of government, two state senators, different numbers of state representatives, and it takes a supermajority of Congress and two-thirds of states to amend the Constitution. It is also why we have an Electoral College.

The Electoral College happens in two phases. The first occurs on Election Day in November where the popular vote is cast. Citizens of each state vote for the electors selected by their party representatives who match the number of congressional representatives and senators. In Colorado, each party has nine electors.



The second phase has the electors vote for the president based on the popular vote in their state. Since there are 538 electoral votes eligible for president, there must be a 270-vote majority to win the Electoral College.

The Electoral College is important because it requires coalition building and campaigning among candidates within smaller states, so their interests are properly represented in the presidential election. In order to win, the presidential candidate must have the support of many types of voters from across the country. Without the Electoral College, candidates would be compelled to only focus their campaigns on states with large populations, like California and New York. States like Colorado would be avoided in future campaigns because our vote would be absorbed by California and New York.



The Electoral College is also important because it makes voter fraud much more difficult. Knowing which states are going to swing in a certain direction makes it difficult for corrupt organizations and foreign countries to predict which states to target to steal an election. Without the Electoral College, nefarious election targeting could easily occur against those states with the biggest populations.

Proposition 113 is an effort to side-step the Electoral College and enable a pure majority national vote for the presidency. This defies our Constitution in order to void the popular vote within each state. Ultimately, it enables opportunities for corruption and the tyranny of the majority. Vote NO on Proposition 113.

Pete Wood
Chair, Routt County Republican Central Committee


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