To the editor: Chastising protest votes as votes for former President Trump would depend on what state the protest voter lives in. (“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ conservative who voted third-party in 2016. Here’s why I won’t make that mistake this time,” Opinion, Oct. 1)
In California, a million of us could vote for Mickey Mouse, knowing that Vice President Kamala Harris will still take all of our state’s electoral votes. This reality points out two disturbing problems with our presidential elections in a country that is supposedly this planets leader in democracy.
One is that not every citizen’s vote is equal and, two, the electoral system is not democratic. As many of us have experienced twice, the candidate who receives the most votes doesn’t necessarily become president.
The electoral system needs to be trashed so that all votes for president are equal. Then, maybe, we will have the presidential candidates travel to our state to campaign rather than show up for private functions to collect millions in donations.
Brad Nelson, Oxnard
..
To the editor: Even after reading John J. Pitney Jr.’s op-ed article, I still plan on voting for a third-party candidate.
We go through this ruse every four years that one has to vote for the lesser of two evils. The truth is that the two-party political system is the real evil. Witness how elites and rich donors choose and manipulate the candidates and also set the agendas for each party.
In contrast, some third parties argue for real and equitable solutions that address the root causes of the problems that plague us today, both domestically and in foreign affairs.
I refuse to be part of the political farce that is the two-party system. Sorry, Mr. Pitney.
Salvador Jimenez, Los Angeles
