Amendments

Re “Will we ever amend the Constitution again?” (Other Views, March 31): Rick LaRue hopes we may enshrine voters’ rights by amending the Constitution “in seven or eight years, or perhaps 13,” but the country may not have the luxury of that time.

While the late 20th century Republican Party of Ronald Reagan embraced American democracy, accepted the results of elections, compromised to pass legislation and was a bulwark against Soviet authoritarianism, today’s Republican Party is none of that and instead falls in line behind a narcissistic, bullying, flimflam man.

Former President Donald Trump could receive fewer overall votes than President Joe Biden, but he still has a chance to become our next president because of the Electoral College. This is not evidence of the framers’ genius. The Electoral College was adopted in 1787 as a last minute, least-bad formula.

This year, the whims of a few hundred thousand voters in toss-up states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina will determine the electoral winner, out of 160 million citizens who cast presidential ballots.

This is absurd, and the Electoral College should be amended out of existence, but there’s no chance if Trump gets elected and implements the “Project 2025” plan of governance made public by The Heritage Foundation. The framers were clear that our Constitution should be amended when necessary, but first a few people in a few states have to feel inclined to continue our experiment in democracy.

— David Meyerholz, Virginia Beach