Letter to State Representative
by Rylie Deegan
Rylie Deegan
8th grade
ET Richardson Middle School
[email protected]
Dear Alex Charlton,
My name is Rylie Deegan, an 8th grade student attending E.T. Richardson Middle School in Springfield, PA. My Social Studies class has been studying the 2016 presidential election along with the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and the Electoral College. Having researched both sides of the issue, please support voting in favor of the National Popular Vote.
Would you want to play a game where the person who loses could still be declared the winner? This is exactly the kind of unfair "game" our presidential elections have become thanks to the Electoral College, and Americans have a right to expect more. Indeed, the Electoral College gives people in a state's political minority little incentive to vote. Also, the Electoral College is undemocratic. For example, the Electoral College system encourages presidential candidates to focus on a few states and ignore the rest.
The Electoral College gives people in a state's political minority little incentive to vote. In fact, for some citizens, voting for president feels like a waste of time. As New York Republican John Smith has said, "Republicans are completely outnumbered in my state, so I feel like my vote doesn't count"(iCivics). Therefore, more people vote in close elections where every vote could make a difference. During the 2004 presidential election, more people voted when the races were close and their vote could have made a difference.
The Electoral College does not belong in a democracy. Citizens are perfectly capable of voting for a president on their own, without the Electoral College. The Electoral College does not allow voices to be heard, and the NPV will make every vote count. We cannot continue with a system that encourages candidates to ignore huge parts of the country during election time. If only voters in competitive states get attention at election time, huge numbers of voters may simply stop paying attention. Thank you for your attention to this problem. Please vote to support the National Popular Vote and make American’s feel like they matter. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Rylie Deegan
8th grade
ET Richardson Middle School
[email protected]
Dear Alex Charlton,
My name is Rylie Deegan, an 8th grade student attending E.T. Richardson Middle School in Springfield, PA. My Social Studies class has been studying the 2016 presidential election along with the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and the Electoral College. Having researched both sides of the issue, please support voting in favor of the National Popular Vote.
Would you want to play a game where the person who loses could still be declared the winner? This is exactly the kind of unfair "game" our presidential elections have become thanks to the Electoral College, and Americans have a right to expect more. Indeed, the Electoral College gives people in a state's political minority little incentive to vote. Also, the Electoral College is undemocratic. For example, the Electoral College system encourages presidential candidates to focus on a few states and ignore the rest.
The Electoral College gives people in a state's political minority little incentive to vote. In fact, for some citizens, voting for president feels like a waste of time. As New York Republican John Smith has said, "Republicans are completely outnumbered in my state, so I feel like my vote doesn't count"(iCivics). Therefore, more people vote in close elections where every vote could make a difference. During the 2004 presidential election, more people voted when the races were close and their vote could have made a difference.
The Electoral College does not belong in a democracy. Citizens are perfectly capable of voting for a president on their own, without the Electoral College. The Electoral College does not allow voices to be heard, and the NPV will make every vote count. We cannot continue with a system that encourages candidates to ignore huge parts of the country during election time. If only voters in competitive states get attention at election time, huge numbers of voters may simply stop paying attention. Thank you for your attention to this problem. Please vote to support the National Popular Vote and make American’s feel like they matter. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Rylie Deegan