A few years ago I got second for Democratic Party chairman of Tarrant County. I’m telling you this so you’ll know I’m not a smuck. Well, I am a smuck, but that’s not the point. As I write this letter,
A few years ago I got second for Democratic Party chairman of Tarrant County.
I’m telling you this so you’ll know I’m not a smuck. Well, I am a smuck, but
that’s not the point.
As I write this letter, it is about five weeks away
from the election for President, and you wouldn’t know it from where I live.
I’ve not seen one TV commercial, one radio commercial or billboard, or
newspaper ad, or campaign sign in anyone’s yard. None. As far as I can tell, it
looks like just any other year. No one is talking about any of the races, let
alone the race for President.
Now here is where I’m supposed to lecture you
with my “apathetic voter” speech. Well, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to
put the blame on those who have caused this: Congress and the news
media.
Congress has caused this by not getting rid of the electoral vote,
and the news media has caused this by not putting pressure on Congress to get
rid of the electoral vote.
Since I am in Republican territory, both parties
have ignored Texas. Since Texas is the home of Governor George W. Bush, he
should win here. Thus, the Democrats haven’t spent any time or money in Texas
and the Republicans haven’t had to either.
From what I can tell, both
parties have ignored 42 of the other 50 states as well. They are spending all
their time in only eight states. A few thousand people will be deciding who
will govern over a few million people in about a month’s time. All because the
winner of a state gets all of its electoral votes.
And because the winner
gets all of the electoral votes of that state, many Democrats in Texas will not
be turning out on election day. Why? Because they know their vote will not
count. The race for President is the Super Bowl or World Series of elections.
It’s the race for President that stirs people up and causes them to register to
vote and join political parties. And all that will not be happening in Texas or
41 other states this year because people know their vote will not count in the
race they care about.
Democratic candidates running for smaller offices
will lose here in Texas and in other Republican states, giving Republicans a
stronger hold on these states.
The same thing will happen to Republicans
running for smaller offices in Tennessee and other so-called Democratic states.
All because of an outdated law that should have been done away with a hundred
years ago.
Forty-nine percent of the votes in every state will not count on
election day, because whether a state is Democratic or Republican, at least 45
percent of the population of that state belongs to the other party.
Right
now it looks like only 28 percent of all registered voters across the country
will turn out this year. Wow. That just plain sucks. It’s not the people’s
fault. I don’t care how many experts you get to say it is. Why vote if your
vote will not count? And 49 percent of the vote in every state of the union
will not count as long as the Electoral College is in place.
It is time the
local and national press started putting pressure on Congress to repeal the
Electoral College. If the press were to join forces, this would be the last
election in which a voter would know his vote didn’t count. Who knows? People
might start to give a damn about things again.
The news media of this
country should stand up and let the people know what they stand for. Are they
the Fourth Estate and protectors of the people, or are they filler pages
between ads for used cars and toothpaste?
I refuse to say I can’t see a
problem. A handful of undecided voters in eight states shouldn’t have as much
power as this. Every state’s votes should count. Every voter’s vote in every
state should count. The candidates should have to beg voters in Hawai’i and
Alaska as well as Florida and California. And that will never happen until
Congress repeals the Electoral College. And Congress will never ever repeal the
Electoral College until the news media puts pressure on them to do so.
RON
TAYLOR
Texas