The outcome of the 2016 election is now predictable. The Democrats may well have already lost.

Their problem has been requiring people to register Democratic many months in advance in too many state primaries. This situation did not give a chance for the millions of independents and young people becoming stirred by Bernie to vote for the first time.

Bernie Sanders won big in states where both millions of young people and independents stood in line for hours to register and to vote for him. What has taken place in the primaries that did not even allow them to register to vote, allowing Bernie’s competitor to win big, has undoubtedly chilled their enthusiasm to vote.

Bernie being knocked out of the race can by no means ensure that these voters will vote for Hillary Clinton. Bernie’s “burn” was not so much for him as it was for real change in more dramatic ways than Hillary has the dedication for.

These millions of young people and independents, standing in lines to vote in Democratic primaries for the first time, were not enthusiastic about being Democrats. They were only enthused to do this by what Bernie was the only one to offer: real, deep-down change, bringing on fair play and social justice for all Americans at long last!

The stackers of the deck in America need to give this some real thought if they want more young people and thinking independents to come forth. But perhaps that is not what they really want.

George Eaton

South Portland