Make every vote matter

To the Editor;
It is critical to our democracy that every citizen’s vote has value, and is felt by the voter to have value. Enacting a national popular vote will ensure that every vote has value; and is not lost due to the particular majority party of the voting district. No longer will Piscataquis Democrats or York Republicans have reason to say, “My vote doesn’t matter.”

Elections for federal and state legislators, governor, selectpersons, mayors and school board members are won by the candidate winning the most votes. There’s no credible reason why the presidency should be decided by a different or lesser standard.

The national popular vote favors the voter, not any party. Republicans in majority Democratic areas and Democrats in majority Republican areas will have their votes tallied into their candidate’s national vote. The winning candidate will have actually won the most votes cast nationally. Imagine that.

And candidates will seek votes in all states — including Maine — not just swing states. A president governs the country, not select states. Winning the national popular vote is the only fair standard for electing the president.

Lori Calderone
Dover Foxcroft