Letter to the editor: Electoral College purpose

To the editor:

The Electoral College? I had to dig a little, but it’s not hard to find. Article II, Section 1: Each state chooses Electors who meet and vote. Do we still trust the wisdom of the founding fathers? Or should we pick and choose, accepting some parts, ignoring others?

There is really only one reason for an Electoral College; it is a buffer against democracy gone wrong. The founders did not trust pure democracy. They worried that passions might lead us onto dangerous paths. The Electoral College was designed to be a safety check, a curb, and just like the Supreme Court, it is anti-democratic, it can disagree with and negate the democratic outcome. Its purpose is to curb unbridled democratic passions. In 2000 the College obeyed the states and elected a president though he received fewer votes from the people; but it was not required to do so. Nor is it required to elect the 2016 winner.

The Electoral College has the power to reject a president who is dangerous. Ironically, in doing so the College would actually be enforcing the will of the people. In the past the College has always obeyed the decisions of individual states, but it need not do so now; it can choose to follow the will of the majority. If it fails to do so now, under these circumstances, its existence will be hard to justify. In these circumstances, if the College fails to act, by trusting in its design, perhaps the founders were mistaken.