It’s a Republic!

These United States are guaranteed a republican form of government – not a democracy. What do we mean by this distinction? We mean that our system is NOT majority domination; all the privileges authorized by the Constitution are in favor of minorities . . . the bankrupts, the inventors, the authors. Anyone like Gore, who proclaims that more people voted for him than voted for Bush, is merely advertizing his ignorance.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that something is wrong somewhere. The Constitution insists that no U.S. officer be an elector: and this is eminently reasonable, because officers are tax-spenders, and the momentous decisions should be taken by tax-payers. But what we see, quite regularly, is that office-holders DO take part in the elections: George H. W. Bush and Al Gore were both vice president – that is, president of the Senate – when they did and did not, respectively, win the office.

What has happened is, that the States have privatized the elections! The candidates are chosen, not by the States, but by the parties. Libertarians, if no others, are all in favor of privatization – but only where the best man can be expected to win. When the parties choose the candidates, you get candidates like J.F.K.: nobody who actually knew him imagined that he was the best man – or even a good man – for the office, but he looked and sounded like a young, strong, even bright man to the masses of voters.

Obviously, what we want is that the masses choose from people they actually know. And, believe it or not, that is the system we have! The citizens of Alabama choose the electors of Alabama, from among citizens of Alabama, and the citizens of Wyoming choose the electors of Wyoming, from among citizens of Wyoming. (In Maine and Nebraska, the citizens choose their electors from among citizens of their own congressional districts.)

Then what happens? On one day, all the electors meet in their own States and vote by ballot, i.e. making a record on paper. But, we find, these many prominent, respected U.S.-tax-paying citizens make no use of their accumulated knowledge and experience; they do not discuss and debate the merits of various candidates, but merely vote for the candidate of their own party! (The exception that proves the rule is that in 1970 Roger McBride, a Republican elector in Virginia, voted for the Libertarian candidates, Prof. John Hospers and Ms. Toni Nathan – the first vote ever cast for a woman.)

Observe that both in Art. II, Sec. 1 and in Amendment XII we see that the lists of votes are to be sent “sealed,” and the president of the Senate is to “open” the lists: the reason why is obvious – so that the candidates do not know how many votes they received, and thus cannot go around the representatives trying to persuade the States to vote for one or another. It is because the electors merely follow the popular vote that we see fierce, irresolvable disputes over questionable ballots and hanging chads, over who is to program the electronic voting machines. Instead of elections affording us domestic tranquility – ballots instead of bullets – they arouse resentment and bitterness. And they tempt aspiring candidates to appeal to the masses by promising special privileges, such as pensions or “free” health care.

As I write this, it is fifteen months before the State elections and four months before the first primary election. Already, candidates are spending money lavishly, and the media are devoting space and time to the campaigns. Privatizing the presidential election has not saved the taxpayers money, but has made it easier for a vulgar panderer to be chosen.

But there is a remedy: any State could enact a statute demanding that its electors meet in closed session, and say nothing about their proceedings until after the president of the Senate has opened the lists and counted the votes. Why should any State do this? Because it would find that would-be candidates visiting the State would talk about the COMMON defense and the GENERAL welfare, instead of appealing to one or another block of voters (for instance, members of labor unions.)