By Mark Jenkins

Resident Scholar Wyoming Humanities

I have friends in Wyoming who will not vote for a president this November. They know their vote will not count toward the election, so, as an act of protest, they’re not voting at all. I utterly disagree with this repudiation of the most basic American right---in my opinion, it is the duty and privilege of every eligible American citizen to vote---but I understand the sentiment.

The president and vice president of the United States are not elected by a plurality of the popular vote: they are elected by the electoral college. What is the...