The Electoral College was created to give people in all States with different and unique historical differences, whether geographical, racial, population density, climate, etc., an equal chance at influencing and selecting our national leader. The creators of the college wanted to be certain that as time passed and different fates befell various areas of our nation, the leader would remain beholden to all the people. The creators wanted to ensure that a few states, states such as California, New York, or Texas, for example, could not grow so large that they could form an unholy alliance, if so inclined, and because of their population size alone choose our President.
It is a very appealing, but at the same time a very simplistic argument in our Country, which is commonly assumed by many to be a direct democracy. They think the “one man one vote concept” should always prevail. What most folks do not seem to understand is that this Country is not a direct democracy. It is a democratic republic. Our forefathers purposefully rejected the “one man one vote concept (direct democracy)” that failed so many times over the centuries, in favor of the brand-new American concept that they felt provided an opportunity for long term success. It was designed carefully and to be unique in human history. That visionary designed democratic republic has proven correct.
Joining the States in favor of eliminating the electoral college concept and replacing it with one man one vote would be a huge mistake for States like Maine, and ultimately prove a fatal and catastrophic blow to our United States of America. Our three coequal branches of government were: carefully designed to allow every person, and every State, an equal voice, both individually and collectively. They understood that population alone would not result in an equal say in all three branches.
Maine has approx. 1,300,000 people. California has an estimated 45,000,000 people. Maine became a State in 1820. CA acquired statehood in 1850. The electoral college was established in our Constitution and has been the election system used since 1789. Obviously, because of the various differences I mentioned earlier, each State has grown differently over the years. Although neither State existed in 1789, these differences in ability to grow and prosper were precisely what the founding fathers so wisely were protecting us against.
The Congress was the population branch of our system. It was given selection preference to recognize the old one man one vote concept always paramount in direct democracies. That is why today CA has 52 Congressmen and Maine only 2. The Senate was set up to reflect each States collective needs. That is why each State, regardless of population, has 2 Senators. As a result, Congress reflects the one man one vote direct democracy concept and the Senate, with no regard to population, is modeled after the old House of Lords, and is designed to bring collaboration and collective wisdom and good judgment to all areas of the country equally. This was taken from the republic concept.
After the formation of the House and Senate, it remained for our forefathers to come up with an equally fair method of selecting our executive. The method had to be fair to both population and the one man one vote concept, while at the same time fair to all the other aforementioned differences between States. That concept they decided on is the electoral college, and this college has historically made every State, by virtue of each State’s unique characteristics, equally important in every Presidential election. Without the electoral college, no executive candidate would waste his time, energy, or thoughts on a small and insignificant State like Maine.
We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the founders of America. They had the wisdom to create a system of government that is the only one of its kind in the world. We have an obligation to respect and uphold our Constitution and this system. The electoral college has served us well across all 50 States, and it will continue to provide the balanced government we need for the next 1000 years. We must not destroy the gift that God and our forefathers gave to us.
My friends, contact Governor Mills and any member of government you may know. Ask them to leave our democratic republic intact and reject attempts to eliminate our electoral college. Maine’s future depends on it.
Joseph E. Martin
Rumford, Maine
State Senate Candidate District #19
Opinion pieces reflect the views of the individual author, and do not reflect the views of the Daily Bulldog, Mt. Blue TV, or Central Maine Media Alliance. Publication of an opinion piece does not equate to endorsement of the content of the piece.
