UDonald Trump wayeqinisile: uhlelo luqinisiwe. Kepha iboshelwe amaRiphabhlikhi, hhayi amaDemocrats, ama-Conservatives, hhayi abathuthukayo. Futhi umphumela uwukukhethwa kwesikhulu esicwasa ngokwedlulele, esibukela phansi abesilisa nabesifazane esingase siguqule inkambo yase-US kanye nomlando womhlaba.
Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi sifunda ukuthi u-Hillary Clinton wehlule uDonald Trump ngamavoti angaphezu kwezigidi ezimbili, nokho uTrump usawina i-Electoral College. Umphakathi wavuka umbhejazane ngo-2000 lapho uGore eshaya uBush ngamavoti angu-550,000 kodwa wehluleka ivoti loKhetho. Kulokhu umphakathi, umkhankaso kaClinton kanye nabezindaba bathule. Siyajabula ukubona uJill Stein ehola ekungeneleleni ivoti eWisconsin, Michigan nasePennsylvania.
Eqinisweni uhlelo lwe-Electoral College lwadalwa ngabaphethe izigqila, futhi luhlala lungenayo intando yeningi futhi lucwasa ngokwebala, futhi luchemile kumaRiphabhulikhi. U-Obama ubonise ukuthi uhlelo lunganqotshwa futhi luphenduke lube yinzuzo yethu, kodwa ukulahlekelwa kukaClinton noGore kukhombisa ukuthi kuwumqansa.
I-Racist, I-Undemocratic Electoral College
Ukhetho lwango-2016 belungokwesine emlandweni wase-US ukuthi umuntu ongenele ukhetho lukamongameli alahlekelwe yivoti elidumile kodwa awine i-Electoral College, kanjalo nokuba ngumongameli. Futhi imajini ewinile kaClinton yamavoti angaphezu kwezigidi ezimbili inkulu kakhulu kunanoma yiliphi ikhandidethi “elilahlekile”.
Kungani, ekhulwini lama-21, i-Electoral College ilokhu iphakamisa ivoti elidumile egameni lamaRiphabhulikhi? Ukuchema kweRiphabhulikhi kwe-Electoral College kususelwa ezintweni ezimbili ezibalulekile: kunciphisa kakhulu umthelela wabavoti abavamile ezifundazweni ezincane futhi kulahla ngokuphelele amavoti aqhubekayo cishe ingxenye yabavoti base-Afrika baseMelika, ngaphezu kwengxenye yaboMdabu. Abavoti baseMelika kanye nenqwaba yabavoti baseLatino.
Sekungamashumi eminyaka manje, ngaphandle kwezimbalwa ezimbalwa, amaRiphabhulikhi aphethe izindawo zasemakhaya, amadolobhana amancane nezifundazwe ezincane zabantu, kanti amaDemocrats alawula amadolobha amakhulu kanye nezifundazwe eziningi zabantu.
Nokho, imithetho ye-Electoral College inika isisindo esiphindwe kathathu kubantu baseRiphabhulikhi abadla ngoludala nabamhlophe ezifundazweni zasemakhaya uma kuqhathaniswa nezifundazwe ezinabantu abaningi, abahlukene ngokwezinhlanga kanye neningi labantu beDemocratic Alliance.
Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi ngisho izwe elincane kunawo wonke linamavoti angu-3 e-Electoral College, okusekelwe emthethweni wokuthi izwe ngalinye labelwe Abakhethi ngokusekelwe kubukhulu bezithunywa zaso zekhongolose (AmaSenator plus Representatives). Umthethosisekelo uhlinzeka ngokuthi izwe ngalinye linenani elincane lamaSenatha amabili kanye nelungu elilodwa leNdlu Yabamele, noma ngabe inani labantu bakhona lingaphansi kwesifunda esisodwa sekhongolose esifundazweni esikhulu. (Kunabantu ababalelwa ku-710,767 esifundeni sekhongolose esimaphakathi.)
Isibonelo, kulo nyaka bangaphezudlwana kuka-245,000 abantu abavote e-Wyoming nokho inamavoti amathathu e-Electoral College: elilodwa kubavoti abangama-82,000 noma ngaphezulu. Uma kuqhathaniswa kulo nyaka bangaphezu kwezigidi eziyi-12 abantu abavote eCalifornia enamavoti oKhetho angama-55. Ngakho-ke iCalifornia inevoti elilodwa loKhetho kubo bonke abavoti abangama-218,000. Ngakho umvoti e-Wyoming uthwala cishe isisindo soKhetho esiphindwe kathathu somvoti waseCalifornia. Impela ngenxa yokuthi isifunda ngasinye sinezigele ezimbili, umthetho ojwayelekile wukuthi uma uphezulu isibalo sabantu bombuso, kuba nomthelela omncane umvoti ngamunye kuleso sifundazwe e-Electoral College.
Futhi, njengoba amaRiphabhulikhi ephethe zonke izifundazwe ezincane ngaphandle kweRhode Island kanye neWashington DC (nakhona ethola amavoti oKhetho ama-3), lo mthetho ubavuna kakhulu. Kulo nyaka imiphumela yoKhetho ikwazile ukuhlehlisa umkhawulo wamavoti adumile kaClinton ngoba, ngokokuqala ngqa emashumini eminyaka, amaRepublican athwala izifundazwe eziningi zaseFlorida, ePennsylvania naseMichigan, ngaphezu kweTexas.
Ukuphikisa Ivoti LaseNingizimu Afrika
Uhlelo lwe-Electoral College luphinde luqinisekise, luze ludinge, ukuthi uma kubhekwa umlando wokuvota ngokobuhlanga, cishe uhhafu wabo bonke abavoti bemibala kufanele bancishwe inyumbazana noma banganakwa ngokuphelele.
Cishe amaphesenti angama-55 abo bonke abaNsundu bahlala ezifundazweni eziseningizimu, futhi amashumi eminyaka bavote cishe amaphesenti angama-90 eDemocratic Alliance emijahweni kamongameli. Kodwa-ke, iphethini kusukela ngo-1960 ukuthi abavoti abamhlophe beRiphabhulikhi bayabehlula kuzo zonke izifundazwe eziseningizimu nasemngceleni ngaphandle kwaseMaryland naseVirginia, kanye (ngo-2008) neNorth Carolina. Ngenkathi abamhlophe bavotela uTrump kuzwelonke ngamaphesenti angama-58 ngo-2016, abamhlophe baseningizimu bamnika amavoti abo angaphezu kwamaphesenti angama-70. Ivoti elimhlophe selicishe lifane kusukela ngo-1980.
Ngakho-ke wonke amavoti aseSouthern Electoral College, ngaphandle kwalawo aseMaryland naseVirginia, aya kuTrump futhi amavoti acishe abe uhhafu wabavoti base-Afrika baseMelika awabalwa, ngokwemithetho yeKolishi.
Isibonelo, abaNsundu bakha cishe amaphesenti angama-36 wabavoti baseMississippi, iphesenti eliphakeme kakhulu labavoti Abamnyama kunoma yisiphi isimo ezweni. Cishe amaphesenti angama-90 avotele uClinton. Kodwa abamhlophe bangamaphesenti angama-64 abavoti bombuso, futhi cishe amaphesenti angama-90 akhetha uTrump. Ngakho-ke u-Trump uzuze ngesandla amaphesenti angu-58 wevoti lonke lombuso kanye nawo wonke amavoti ayo e-Electoral College.
Ngo-2016, njengamashumi eminyaka, umphumela we-Electoral College wawufana nokuthi abaNsundu kuzo zonke izifundazwe eziseningizimu ngaphandle kwaseVirginia naseMaryland abazange bavote. Ayenganakwa ngokufanayo amavoti ezigidi zabavoti boMdabu baseMelika kanye nabaseLatino abahlala ezifundeni zaseRepublican ezinabantu abaningi abamhlophe njenge-Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, Dakotas, Montana kanye neTexas. Ngaphezu kwalokho, abantu basePuerto Rico, e-US Virgin Islands, American Samoa naseGuam—izindawo ezibuswa yi-US—abawatholi nhlobo amavoti e-Electoral College. Ubushiqela babamhlophe, abaningi abalandela imithetho bukhona.
Ngakho, uhlelo lwe-Electoral College luphula isimiso somuntu oyedwa, ivoti elilodwa, lilulaza kakhulu umthelela wevoti elimnyama futhi linikeza amaRiphabhulikhi inzuzo enkulu emiqhudelwaneni yomongameli. Ukuqedwa kwayo kufanele kube yingxenye esemqoka yenqubekelaphambili ye-ajenda.
Umsuka Wezigqila we-Electoral College
I-Founding Fathers, eholwa ngabaphathi bezigqila abanjengoGeorge Washington, uThomas Jefferson, uJames Madison noJames Monroe, basungula i-Electoral College emoyeni omncane ukuze bafeze izithakazelo zabo.
Bahlanganisa umqondo omubi wokuthi izigqila zazingebona abantu, futhi ngenxa yalokho azifaneleki amalungelo omthethosisekelo noma abantu. Okuhlukile kulo mthetho kwakuyisimiso somthethosisekelo sokuthi izigqila kufanele zibalwe njengezingxenye ezintathu kwezinhlanu zomuntu, kuphela ngenjongo yokunquma ukuthi bangaki abamele ukhongolose izwe ngalinye elizokwabelwa. Ngakho-ke, nakuba izigqila zazingenalo ilungelo lokuvota, ukubusa kwesithathu-esihlanu kwandise kakhulu amandla ezigqila eNdlu yabaMeli ngakho-ke iCongress.
I-Electoral College, lapho izwe ngalinye lithola inani labaKhethi abalingana nezithunywa zalo zekhongolose, lasungulwa njengendlela yesikhungo yokudlulisa leso sabelo sekhongolose esivumelana nobugqila ekunqumeni isikhundla sikamongameli. Abaphathi bezigqila babambe isikhundla sikamongameli iminyaka engama-50 kwengama-72 ngaphambi kokuba u-Abraham Lincoln, owakhethwa ngo-1860, abe umongameli wokuqala wase-US ukuphikisa ukwanda kobugqila. INingizimu, eyayijwayele ukusebenzisa amandla ezombusazwe ngokubala izigqila ezikhethiwe, yazihlukanisa ngokushesha.
Kusukela ekupheleni kobugqila i-Electoral College isalokhu iyithuluzi lokucwasa ngokwebala nokulandela imithetho. Kunikeze amaRiphabhulikhi isiqalo esisheshayo sokuwina isikhundla sikamongameli selokhu abantu baseNingizimu abaphikisayo bashintsha ngobuningi besuka kuDemocratic Party baya kuRepublican Party bephikisana nomthetho wamalungelo omphakathi wama-1960s.
Lolu hlelo luqinisiwe futhi ukushintsha uhlelo kuzothatha isichibiyelo somthethosisekelo esigunyazwe izingxenye ezintathu kwezine zezifundazwe. Ngakho-ke sisempini ekhuphukayo yokuthi, uma singaba ngamasu e-Electoral College ngendlela u-Obama enza ngayo, singanqoba. Nakuba i-Electoral College ingekho ngasohlangothini lwethu, umlando, kuhlanganise nabavoti abathuthukayo abakhuphukayo, unjalo. Masenze uTrump abe ngumongameli wehlandla elilodwa
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U-Bob Wing ube isishoshovu sobulungiswa bobuhlanga nokuthula kusukela ngo-1968. Wayengumhleli ongumsunguli we-ColorLines umagazini futhi Izikhathi Zempi iphephandaba. Ungumbhali we Imigqa Yempi Idwetshiwe: I-Neo-Secession noma Ukwakhiwa Kabusha Kwesithathu futhi Amanothi Abheke Isu Lokhetho Lobulungiswa Bezenhlalakahle. UBill Fletcher, Jr. ungumsingathi wohlelo lwezingxoxo, umbhali kanye nesishoshovu. Angalandelwa ku-Twitter, Facebook naku-www.billfletcherjr.com. Ungumbhali-ndawonye, noDkt. Fernando Gapasin, I-Solidarity Divided, nombhali we Bayibhanga I-US-kanye Nezinye Izinganekwane Ezingamashumi Amabili Ngezinyunyana.