On Friday, March 1, there will be a public hearing at the State House in Augusta on LD 418. In essence, that bill seeks to have Maine adopt an interstate compact to elect the president of the United States by national popular vote, eliminating the Electoral College process.
The Electoral College makes all states important, regardless of geographical size or population. Without it, presidential candidates are more likely to focus on California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois. Voters in the smaller East Coast states, and most of the Midwest, would be irrelevant during campaigns. Residents of rural areas, whose needs and realities of daily life are far different from city dwellers, would lose their voice.
My friends in metropolitan areas, for example, cannot imagine stacking cord wood in a wet basement with a low ceiling, nor living in a town without a police department or public transportation. They don’t understand what it takes to live here or what is important to people in small towns.
The drive to abolish the Electoral College went into high gear after the 2016 election. People who want to change the process, because they think it would help their candidates, do not care to look at the big picture. The Electoral College levels the playing field and gives each person a voice. That should not be lost.
I encourage legislators to vote against LD 418.
 
Charlotte Wink, Durham

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