To the editor: John Anderson. Ralph Nader. Ross Perot. (“California poll reveals how minor candidates could throw 2024 presidential race to Trump,” March 1)
All three of those men were independent presidential candidates at some point in my life, and all three siphoned enough votes away from a major party candidate to change the outcome of the election. None came close to winning the Oval Office.
This trend could continue with Jill Stein and Cornel West, who together barely reach 5% in the polls. Even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has just over twice the support of those two… combined.
While I certainly support the right of any qualified person to run for president, the presence of third-party candidates almost always turns out to be little more than a way for a minority of voters to express their dissatisfaction. That sentiment should not be allowed to distort the most important election we have in any four-year period, although I cannot – and would not – attempt to legally preempt the rights of those candidates.
But unless Stein, West and Kennedy's real goal is to take away enough votes from President Biden to allow former President Trump to win, they have a moral obligation to do what is right for democracy and end their campaigns.
Kymberleigh Richards, Van Nuys
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To the editor: We have nine months until the elections. A lot can happen in nine months.
As a centrist Democrat, I would go over and vote for former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney in a heartbeat. She's smart as a whip, honest, sincere, and one of the few Republicans who isn't crazy as an owl.
I am absolutely amazed that there are so many voters thinking that Trump is close to being a viable candidate for re-election. That has to be the most telling sign that our country is in dire need of a great awakening.
Roger Krenkler, Westlake Village
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To the editor: Do we still need the electoral college to elect our president and vice president? These officials represent the entire country. Shouldn't we hold federal elections for those positions through popular vote?
Currently, when we vote for president and vice president, do our votes count directly for those offices or do we actually elect the state electors? And are those electors required by law to represent the majority of their states, or can they go rogue?
In other words, does our vote really count?
Maria Sikonia, Manhattan Beach
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To the editor: What's wrong with these people? Don't they realize that voting for anyone other than Biden is a vote for Trump?
Don't give me that “I wanted to send a message” nonsense. The message you're sending is “I want Trump to win but I can't admit it” or “I'm stupid.”
Lorraine Knopf, Santa Monica
