Jews matter to Electoral College
Like it or not, the Electoral College magnifies the importance of the Jewish vote in presidential elections (“On eve of Electoral College vote, a NJ elector who hates the system,” Dec. 15). Some candidates may have a sincere interest in Jewish concerns and Israel, but many more take strong pro-Israel positions and other stances in accordance with what they perceive to be the majority view within the Jewish community because there is an Electoral College.
Here is why: American Jews are concentrated in several states with large numbers of electoral votes, such as New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, and Illinois. Getting a large Jewish vote in those states could help a candidate win those states and their bonanza of electoral votes. This causes presidential candidates to actively court Jewish votes by appealing to Jewish interests. If the president was elected by popular vote, the 2.2 percent of the population which is Jewish would be insignificant to most candidates, and their interests would largely be ignored. So if you look at politics through the lens of “Is it good for the Jews?” the verdict on the Electoral College is “yes.”
Kenneth Kaplan
Via njjewishnews.com
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