Electoral college needs to remain

In his opinion piece, “Trump: Mr. Irrelevant,” Edward Marcus raises good points about Donald Trump’s response to the election results. However, I must disagree with Marcus regarding his recommendation to abolish the Electoral College.

The Electoral College ensures that small or less populous states are not overshadowed by large or more populous states. If you think your vote doesn’t count now, try doing away with the Electoral College, and see how you feel when California determines how your vote in Connecticut is counted.

It is important to remember that the United States is not a true democracy. We are a republic, made up of individual states, each with their own needs. When our union was being formed, some states were wary of losing their autonomy, having just fought a war for independence.

The Electoral College was a compromise between northern and southern states. Yes, slavery played a role in the process at the time, because the southern economy was heavily dependent on slave labor. That is no longer the case, but each state still has its own needs. As the nation grew and evolved, and “several” states became 50, each state maintained its own identity and priorities. Today, states may prioritize agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tech or e-commerce. States vote for president from their own perspective and identity. In fairness to smaller or less populous states, each state participates in the presidential election as its own self-contained unit. Candidates must appeal to each state as individual markets, or ignore them at their own peril. Replacing the Electoral College with a national popular vote would cause states to lose their clout as independent entities, and runs counter to what defines a republic. Candidates would focus only on large population centers, ignoring rural or sparsely populated regions.

Andrew Adamczyk Ansonia