Dennis Merritt: Time to get rid of the Electoral College

I love the Recorder’s opinion pages. Where else can one read so many diverse views side-by-side? While I’m firmly on the Trump-hating side of the political spectrum I enjoy reading the views from the other side. We’re never going to get out of this mess until we learn to listen to each other.

On reading a recent pro-Trump letter I was struck with how sad it was that the writer, with his passionately held views, won’t get to cast a meaningful vote for his candidate. We live in a Blue state. Because the Electoral College picks the president our spirited arguments in the Recorder are purely theoretical. The candidates spend little time or energy here.

Imagine, instead, if we elected the president with the popular vote! Then the clash of opinions about Trump would matter in Greenfield, Massachusetts. If I convinced one of them, or they convinced me, it would change the result, just as much as a vote in Wisconsin or Michigan.

It’s time to get rid of the Electoral College so we can all participate in presidential elections.

Dennis Merritt

Shelburne Falls