When the U.S. Constitution was adopted in the late 1700s, the United States was not a nation of equality — even though the document professed otherwise. Slaves and women couldn't vote, state legislatures picked U.S. senators, and there were all kinds of voter restrictions placed on citizens by the states.

In short, the framers of the Constitution didn't really trust the average American (especially if they wore a dress) to make wise choices at the ballot box.

The Electoral College — where leading citizens were actually selected in each state to travel to Washington, D.C., to cast their own ballots for president — is a reflection of that distrust.

Whether you still like the college process or not — and there are defenders who say the college can give weight to small-population states, should that state be evenly divided politically — clearly the original arguments of distrusting average Americans to make major ballot decisions no longer applies.

And the reality is that in states like Utah and Massachusetts, large numbers of voters are in fact disenfranchised in presidential elections.

You may recall that former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt spent a lot of his time, political capital and around $700,000 of your tax dollars organizing a regional presidential primary election in early 2000 with the specific purpose of trying to make Utah a player in the presidential selection process.

GOP candidates Bush and Alan Keyes did come to Utah to campaign. But overall, Leavitt failed.

Only three states ended up holding a presidential primary election out of the 15 or so Leavitt originally recruited. And even then, Bush and Gore had locked up their nominations just days before the Western States Presidential Primary was held. Only 10 percent of voters turned out.

And the heavily Republican Utah Legislature refused to fund a 2004 presidential primary, saying Bush would clearly be their party's nominee, and it was a waste of money to pay for the Utah Democratic Party's primary.

While Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado have received presidential candidate visits and campaigning this year — because at various times those states were up for grabs — Utah remains quietly taken for granted, again.

Democrats in Utah should go to the polls and cast ballots in races where their votes do matter: governor, U.S. House and Senate, Legislature and so on.

But any votes not for George W. Bush on Nov. 2 just don't matter around here — thanks to the Electoral College.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com