Letter: Presidential election already determined for Washington

Local letter writers might keep in mind that Washington is currently a blue state. Democrats outnumber Republicans statewide — giving our electoral votes to the Democratic presidential nominee.

For representative, local Democrats can vote Republican or not vote. Eastern Washington is largely rural, sparsely populated and Republican, but without enough Republicans to turn a blue state red.

To glimpse the size of the population issue, consider this: we have a county east of us with 10,000 people, while King County has well over 2 million people.

No matter what you think about the presidential candidates, the matter is already decided for our state, and maybe for the nation, although the popular vote will be close.

Having electors decide who becomes president is in the Constitution and led to George Bush beating Al Gore, even though Gore won the popular vote.

Maybe we should work to change the Constitution or choose a Republican candidate with wider appeal. Ronald Reagan won Washington in 1984, the last time the state voted for a Republican president. Tip for 2020: Reagan didn’t loudly insult ethnic groups and women.

This year, a Democrat will win our state’s electoral votes for president. Count on it.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 4:42 AM with the headline "Letter: Presidential election already determined for Washington."