Mark Chartier

James Madison believed that ultimate sovereignty rested with the people. That is why he wanted the president to be elected by popular vote, not by the electoral college, and that is one of the reasons, and that is one of the reasons why he wanted the Constitution to be ratified by conventions of elected delegates, not the state legislatures. He was affirming one of the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence: Government must derive its just powers from the consent of the governed. If elections are won by repressing votes rather than persuading voters to back a particular side, then we betray one of the ideals upon which the nation was founded.