The Virginian-Pilot 
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, September 9, 1996             TAG: 9609070007
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A8   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   38 lines

ELECTORAL COLLEGE SYSTEM PROBLEMS

I believe that now, during the federal presidential election season, is a good time for a look at the presidential election process. The problems with the present Electoral College system are as follows.

Due to technological improvements, the Electoral College is no longer necessary.

The present Electoral College system, with its all-or-nothing voting system, is rigged in favor of the large Democratic and Republican parties.

Large states, with a large number of electoral votes, may actually be split in popular vote by 51 percent to 49 percent. However, all electoral votes must go to the candidate with the majority of votes.

A handful of very populous states, with large urban areas, can control the election of a president. That president may not have an adequate agenda that addresses the needs of the smaller or more rural states.

The country no longer has an election process that is solely dominated by the Republican and Democratic parties. Other viable political parties include the Reform Party, Libertarian Party and Green Party.

A president who is elected with fewer than a majority of popular votes receives no mandate for his or her agenda. Example: Bill Clinton was voted in office with only 43 percent of the popular vote.

I believe the present Electoral College system should be replaced with a simple popular vote system, where one candidate must receive at least a 51 percent majority of the vote. If elections are held and no one candidate receives the 51 percent majority, then a run-off election would be held in two or three weeks between the two candidates who received the most votes.

This system would ensure that a president would be elected who is supported by a majority of the voting citizens, from a more diverse cross-section of the population, and would give the new president a mandate for his agenda.

PAUL M. HUBER

Chesapeake, Aug. 20, 1996 by CNB