Subscribe now

Blame gerrymandering

Forty million more Americans voted in 2012 than in the Republican wave of 2010. So you still think becoming more narrow-minded is the solution to win back the White House? The Republican Party issued an autopsy report of our failed 2012 presidential election run in 2013. You can read it for yourself at goproject.GOP.com.

Expand the base, it said. In 2012, 83 percent of minority voters didn’t vote GOP. Neither did 55 percent of women. Meanwhile, the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll has Trump losing to either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders by 13 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Ted Cruz would lose too, but is closer. Marco Rubio Is tied with Clinton.

Gerrymandered safe districts in state legislatures - which have exiled the opposition to other legislative districts - as well as congressional districts have led to these unrealistic expectations largely because people don’t vote in mid-terms.

So an insulting bully who may soon be tried for fraud in New York, or a far right silver tongued newbie senator can win in November? Their very presence on the ballot will boost new voters from the record 62 percent that didn’t vote in 2014.

We gerrymandered our own misery. At least California and Arizona have seen the light with reforms.

Mike Reno

Post Falls

Letters policy

The Spokesman-Review invites original letters on topics of public interest. Your letter must adhere to the following rules:

  • No more than 250 words
  • We reserve the right to reject letters that are not factually correct, racist or are written with malice.
  • We cannot accept more than one letter a month from the same writer.
  • With each letter, include your daytime phone number and street address.
  • The Spokesman-Review retains the nonexclusive right to archive and re-publish any material submitted for publication.
Unfortunately, we don’t have space to publish all letters received, nor are we able to acknowledge their receipt.
Click here to learn more.

Submit letters using any of the following:

Our online form

Mail: Letters to the Editor
The Spokesman-Review
999 W. Riverside Ave.
Spokane, WA 99201

Email: editor@spokesman.com
Fax: (509) 459-3815
Questions?: (509) 459-5430