Our latest column in the Ellensburg Daily Record comes from Robbie Soltz. (The Daily Record incorrectly attributed this article to Charli Sorenson.)
Just for fun, let’s stand one of the League’s long-standing objectives on its head. By focusing mightily on registering and getting people to vote, we may be missing the boat for a few folks. Some people I have spoken to are choosing not to vote. It seems as if they are blaming democracy itself for the state we’re in. Democracy is not a person, a candidate or a political party—it is a process. In the words of a renown conservationist, “…we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Let’s unravel this democracy thing a little and try to understand why some folks might feel a little disappointed in it.
A democratic government means that all eligible people of a particular city, county, state or nation select or vote for who they want to represent them. Here, your County Auditor (Bryan Elliot) and the League of Women Voters can assure you that everyone in this County that is currently registered to vote is eligible to vote and that their ballots are accurately certified and recorded with the best technology available to do this work. So far, so good except that the next part for presidential elections is tricky.
In presidential elections your vote tells your State which candidate you want it to vote for at the meeting of the electors. In Washington (and 47 other states), the winner takes it all—and gets all the electoral votes for that state. The number of electors each state is equal to the number of its representatives and senators. and they are chosen by the winning candidate’s political party. This is the Electoral College—it’s a process (not a place). It is established in the Constitution as a compromise between people who thought Congress should elect the President versus others who thought the President should be elected by the whole population. It is a convoluted and outdated process that ought to be replaced. It is also, I believe, a significant roadblock for some to understanding and valuing democracy.
Robbie Soltz is a retired University Instructor and a former State and National Executive Employee. She is currently President of the Kittitas County League of Women Voters and a Member of the Kittitas County Water Conservation Board. She relishes Water Resource Management, STEM education her grandchildren, horses, cats and beloved husband Dave in Northeastern Kittitas County, Washington.