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Regarding the legislature’s action to short-circuit the proper way to amend the U.S. Constitution and have Colorado’s presidential electoral vote be given to whoever wins the national popular vote.
Recall the 2004 vote in which the cliff-hanging question was to whom Ohio’s electoral vote would go. By a slim margin, Ohio’s 20 electoral votes and the election went to Bush. What if Ohio had voted for Kerry instead of Bush and also had decided to give their electoral vote to the winner of the national popular vote? Then their 20 electoral votes — and the election — would still have gone to Bush since he won the popular vote by about 3 million votes. Check it out. Just Google “electoral college” on the Internet.
The same math works for the combined 19 electoral votes of Colorado and Arizona. If the voters of both states had gone for Kerry instead of Bush (tipping the election to Kerry) but they gave their votes away to the winner of the national popular vote, Bush would still have won.
Our electoral vote is important. It is Colorado’s bargaining chip that forces national decision-makers to pay attention to us. Changing a system that has served this country well is a two-edged sword.
The people of Colorado rejected this idea two-to-one in a referendum in 2004. Why are Colorado’s legislators so eager to thumb their noses at this decision of the voters? Giving our electoral votes away no matter how We The People vote is a sure way to trivialize Colorado. Changing a system that has served this country well is a two-edged sword.

Thomas E. Mullins
Denver

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