Responding to “A different view of the Constitution” in the Oct. 16 Steamboat Pilot & Today, it is agreed that, “We the people of the United States of America” through their state representatives to the Constitutional Congress in Philadelphia did in fact “write and ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America…” However, within that Constitution those same people very purposefully created the Electoral College in Article 2, Section 1. Article 2 deals with establishing the Presidency and within it; Section 1 gives each state electors, equal in number to the senators and congressmen for that state, who then cast votes for the president, now based on the popular vote in their state. The Constitution has been amended 27 times, but this article and section still stand with very minor changes, for good reason.

We are a nation comprised from a confederation of individual states, each with its own government, under an umbrella of a federal government (not individual people under one central government). This was done to preserve states’ rights so all states have a say in the overriding federal government. The more populous states get more congressmen thus more votes, but all states get two Senators, and a minimum of three electors: their senators and at least one congressperson, giving smaller states a say in federal governance and a presidential election.

Yes, James Madison wanted the people to have a hand in making the laws by which they live. And they do. To achieve this, voters of each state directly elect by popular vote, state representatives, and representatives to the Congress and Senate from their own state. These popularly elected representatives make the laws and answer to the people who can vote them in or out of office.

The changes proposed in Proposition 113 would make the presidential election a matter decided by densely populated states like New York and California. Small population states like Wyoming and Montana would be disenfranchised. This is an attempt to change the Constitution of the United States by an agreement among states, rather than by an amendment to the Constitution as required. This is wrong and could be challenged. All electoral votes would go to the national majority, not to the candidates the states’ majority voted for. Put in perspective, hypothetically, if Colorado voted for Biden but the nation overall, voted for Trump, Trump would get Colorado’s electoral votes.

Abbe Stein
Routt County