Would nation be better off as a true democracy? #tellusatoday

Letters to the editor:

We don’t need districts in federal elections. We don’t need districts in state elections. We already have counties in the states, and states in the United States. Let us be a true democracy. One adult person, one vote (“Count everyone, not just eligible voters: Our view”).

In the federal election, the majority rules. In the state government, the majority rules. Do away with the electoral college for the presidential election. Let the person who gets the popular vote be president, and let the one who gets the next highest number of votes be the vice president.

Our people in the states know who are the good people in their areas. The moment you skew the elections by changing the area covered, you usually end up shortchanging someone. My granddad said to me many years ago: “Don’t be stupid. Keep your life simple.” It seems our government has been stupid long enough, and it needs to get simple.

Robert R. Weidner; Springfield, Ohio

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

I am surprised that the voter districting case before the Supreme Court was not dismissed in the very first court that heard it. This should be a no-brainer for anyone familiar with the history of the U.S. government.

Aside from the fact that women were counted for representation when they did not have the vote, those not eligible to vote are still eligible to be taxed. Nearly every state has either an income tax or a sales tax, and most have both. Businesses are taxed in various ways, regardless of who owns them. Property taxes are unrelated to one’s eligibility to vote. It does not matter whether one is a child, a convicted felon, a resident immigrant or an undocumented immigrant: All can be taxed one way or another by states and localities, and most are. No taxation without representation!

Philip D. Hernandez; Bellingham, Wash.

We asked our followers: When drawing voting districts, should the number of eligible voters or overall population be counted? Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

Count only eligible voters because it’s more accurate.

— @MrQuiggley

Most important is that the politicians not draw the lines.

— @Mrk42303

The overall population should be counted. Some minorities will be left out if only eligible voters are counted.

— @JeffOstach

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.