Governing and decision-making bodies most often are composed of odd numbers. For example, the Supreme Court is composed of nine justices. Odd numbers are to assure majority rule and avoid deadlock.

A democratic government is supported by the majority. Unfortunately our elections no longer provide for a democratic government.

That’s because, despite the fact that there is no provision in the Constitution for political parties, two well-funded and incorporated major political parties with opposing views now dominate government.

According to UShistory.org, “The election of 1796 was the first … in American history where political candidates at the local, state, and national level began to run for office as members of organized political parties … George Washington denounced parties as a horrid threat to the republic.”

What followed that election has brought us a chaotic, ineffective form of government in which two incorporated sports team-type political parties have concluded that winning is what the game is all about, not representative government.

These two major political parties, at public expense, place their candidates on the primary ballot. Non-party voters whose numbers are greater than the population of either of the two major parties cannot vote in those primaries, and non-party candidates find primary ballot access made more difficult by design.

Majority rule is prevented in the primary process and thus a “democratically elected government” cannot be achieved in the general election.

There is a ground swell of opposition to this “business as usual.” And a movement for restoring majority representation has begun. The June 12 primary election in Maine may be held using ranked-choice voting. If so, there will no longer be just one candidate for each of the two major parties on the ballot. Voters will now have more choice.

Jim Chiddix

Waterville