Opinion: The Electoral College puts democratic principles at risk in states like NC
In the words of Dr. Jon Meacham, historian and professor at Vanderbilt University, when examining electoral politics before the Franklin Roosevelt administration to the present, about 34% of American voters consistently support some form of authoritarian or autocratic leadership, while 52% of American voters consistently support a democratic process that gives the people a voice in the government under which they live. That leaves 14% of the American voters who seek whatever is in their best interest. Let me state upfront that I am part of the 52%. So this letter is an advocacy for democratic principles.
Taking a quick look at the percentages found in the above paragraph, one might conclude that democracy wins hands down, but not so fast. Our democracy is a complicated process that tends to level the playing field between the political majority and political minority. For example, the state of New York has a population of 20 million and Wyoming has a population of 577,000 and yet, both states are represented by two U.S. senators each. While representation in the U.S. House is more population-based, representative districts in many of the states are so gerrymandered that representation does not accurately reflect the political views of the population it purports to represent. Our own state of North Carolina is a perfect example.
This brings us to the Electoral College. The number of Electoral College delegates for each state is equal to the state's combined representation in the House and Senate. This automatically gives Wyoming an advantage over New York. Combine that with gerrymandering and the Electoral College drifts further away from the will of the people.
Finally, there is the issue of where people live or choose to live. Larger metropolitan areas statistically trend towards democratic principles. Large metropolitan areas also tend to be found in states with larger populations, which tend to be under-represented in comparison to more rural states, which show a tendency to support more authoritarian principles. Putting this together, the 32% begins to balance out with the 52%. This makes the 14% all that more important when determining what governing principles will shape this country’s government.
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I consider myself part of the 52% so I want the 14% to see self-benefit in democratic principles. In that interest, I am not so concerned about which direction the 14% might take in states like New York, California, Maryland or Massachusetts but am concerned about which direction the 14% might take in states like Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. In those states, the 14% might determine who becomes president of the United States. There are other states as well, in which the 14% may be the deciding factor in determining election outcome.
The governing principles brought forth by our founding fathers have never been beyond some form of threat. Democracies are historically rare and fragile. Athens was once a democracy. Its drift towards autocracy is illustrated by the demise of Socrates for teaching the youth to speak their minds. Greece became an imperial power forcing its will upon others with brutal force. Rome was a democracy. However, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon and converted Rome into an empirical dictatorship with brutal repercussions for those who fell under the subjugation of the empire.
Less than 100 years into this nation's existence, the Southern aristocracy led a rebellion with the intent to undo democratic principles established by our Constitution. White supremacy was the cause as documented in the Constitution of the Confederacy. Some 150+ years later there was a raid on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. It was a violent attempt to overturn our democratic system of government and the leaders of that effort have yet to be held accountable.
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Cable news is more about opinion than news. Opinions promoting autocratic principles and democratic principles are espoused while at the same time, stating that the opposing principles are not only wrong but people holding those principles are somehow unworthy of any respect or decent treatment. Couple this with the growing wealth gap and influence of big money on our political system, it is not hard to see that the democratic principles many of us have assumed safe are indeed in harms way.
It is an overstatement to pronounce that our form of government is lost but not an overstatement to pronounce we are in a period of time in which the democratic principles found in the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution and Gettysburg Address are at risk. The efforts necessary to preserve these principles is substantial.
Lee Sease lives in Burnsville
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Electoral College puts democratic principles at risk in North Carolina
