Today I would like to talk to you about the importance of election reform.
My name is [personal information] I love this state and this country.
I want to talk to you today about a serious concern I have with the way our presidential elections are held. The Electoral College and First-Past-The-Post voting inherently lead to flawed, unfair elections.
The Electoral College is a real concern. It is convoluted and archaic, and it gives more power to states with smaller populations, since they receive more electoral votes per citizen than larger states. It also allows for a president who loses the popular vote to still win the presidency (something that has happened 4 times), and it essentially silences political minorities within a state. A democratic vote in Texas counts the same as a Republican vote in California- exactly 0 in a presidential race.
First-Past-The-Post voting is also problematic. It makes voting for a 3rd party essentially a wasted vote. People have to choose between voting for the candidate they most agree with and voting for a candidate that might actually win. It stifles our democracy when people have to surrender their conscience in order to pick the lesser of two evils. 3rd parties don’t receive the full support in elections that they truly have in the electorate, because people know voting for them could end in their least favorite candidate winning.
Simple election reform can fix all of these problems. Firstly, we must abolish the Electoral College. All other elections in our country are decided by popular vote, and this should remain true for our presidential elections. I would like this to be done through the constitutional amendment required to get rid of it completely, as this is the most democratic solution. This problem could also be solved by supporting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. National popular Vote Interstate Compact is a system where a state agrees to give its electoral votes to whomever wins the National popular vote. This ensures the winner of the popular vote would win the presidential election.
To address the problems with First-Past-The-Post voting, we should implement a ranked ballot. On a ranked ballot, voters rank candidates in the order they support them. Should their first choice fail to get a majority vote, their second choice would then receive their vote. This ensures that a majority of citizens are as satisfied as possible with the election, and it means that results accurately measure the amount of support for 3rd parties.
I hope that you will write and support legislation that advocates for election reform. We cannot wait 4 years until we are on the cusp of another presidential election to care about this. Work to make our elections more democratic must begin today. For the health of our democracy, for the satisfaction of the citizens, and for the future of our country, I know you will make the right choice to make our elections as fair as possible.
Thank you for your time,
I look forward to receiving your reply,