Amendment Needed 

It's old news that this presidential race is about preventing whichever front-runner from getting elected. However, voters lack direct power to do so: impeachment isn't preemptive and court trials are slow. Scandal will probably derail Trump and Clinton will mildly prevail. But what's next?

Our system no longer serves us. Votes are only "positive" (for someone) or "neutral" (abstaining), without provision for a "negative" vote against any candidate — an inherent imbalance. Abstaining or voting one's preference won't directly keep somebody else from taking office.

Therefore, notwithstanding my extensive lack of expertise, I propose a Constitutional Amendment: The Negative Ballot Act — Direct Voting Against Political Candidates, which would revise the rules to reflect deteriorating standards of contemporary discourse and conduct and establish the right to vote directly against an opposed contender for public office, similar to voting against propositions. So why not? It preserves the existing right to vote for a preferred candidate for that office.

Amen?

Scott Grusin, Eureka