Four years ago I wrote a letter calling for the abolition of the Electoral College in presidential elections and to replace it with the popular vote by all Americans so that everyone’s vote counts equally.

I pointed out how candidates direct their efforts to very specific swing states and ignore the vast majority of states and voters, because the outcome is already predetermined in most states and not worth spending time or campaign cash.

After the election, one of President Obama’s key election advisors, David Plouffe, wrote a book called “The Audacity to Win,” which describes in detail that even from the beginning of the 2008 campaign, a limited number of states were targeted and all of the rest were chosen to be ignored.

Mr. Plouffe describes exactly what my letter four years ago criticized.

Here we are four years later and things have only gotten worse. The candidates are visiting and buying ad time in just a few states, such as Ohio and Florida, and discussing the concerns of the 5 percent to 7 percent of voters in those states who are still undecided.

There are even fewer swing states now than there were four years ago, such as Pennsylvania. It is frightening to think that this small group of people will choose our next president.

The only time either candidate visits New York is for fundraising events, almost always with the rich folks in New York City.

Residents of Northern New York are never considered by the candidates, because all of New York state’s electoral votes are guaranteed to go to President Obama, even if every single voter in our counties votes for Mitt. Romney. Our votes for president in essence do not matter.

On a recent trip to Canada, it was interesting to try to explain that we don’t have a national election, but we have 51 separate elections where the person who gets the most votes still may not win, such as in 2000 when President George W. Bush won with fewer popular votes nationally than Vice President Al Gore.

Let’s work to eliminate the Electoral College so that the votes of all Americans will truly count equally.

Please write to Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand or Congressman Bill Owens and let them know you would like a constitutional amendment to end the Electoral College.

Kathleen Melinda Moses

Gouverneur

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