Editor,

Our method of selecting the president and the vice president is not as simple as it appears at first glance.

The electoral college scheme is quite complicated and its validity has been questioned often over the past 200-plus years.

Occasionally, the popular vote has been displaced by the electoral college due to the Constitution and further interpretations by the Supreme Court.

In his Oct. 28 letter to the Whidbey News-Times, Mr. Taylor insists that we should keep the electoral college because “it is ludicrous that such a small part of the country dictates the outcome” of the election.

And yet that is exactly what happens today because of the electoral college system.

Not every vote is applied to the actual total.

Whether the electors do or do not vote according to the popular vote of their state’s voters, a significant number of ballots will be thrown out.

That is, the electoral college skews the intent of the total popular vote.

This awkward system ensures that the votes of many will not be included in the final count.

It virtually wipes out our so-called democratic process.

It is my opinion that several recent elections resulted in the invalid election of less popular candidates.

Jerry Mercer

Greenbank