As Americans -- in expected record-numbers -- flock to the polls today, I introduce the first installment of my one-part series on how to improve the American electoral process.
A few precursors: First, the voting process should be easy. It should not be a burden to actually vote. Second, voting should be accessible. It shouldn't matter where you live, it should be just as easy for you or for someone across town to vote. Third, you shouldn't feel hassled. Either because of the limited time before or after work, or because of fears of voter intimidation.
With that, I offer some simple suggestions that we could apply on a national scale, not just state-by-state:
* Mail-in voting: other states do this and they have record turnouts. And it solves all of the above three precursors.
* More polling places: we simply need to increase the bandwidth. Long lines are a great sign of voter enthusiasm, but it doesn't have to be that way.
* Change the date of the election: Many other civilized nations operate their elections over the span of a Saturday and Sunday. Or make it Tuesday/Wednesday for Americans. More time to vote encourages higher turnout.
* Make Election Day a national holiday: Perhaps the simplest solution of all is to make it a holiday. People will have much less to worry about and the reasons for not voting are almost eliminated.
If voting is so important that people fight wars to protect it, the least we can do is make sure everyone has an easy, fair, and simple means to vote.
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4 comments:
I'd add: set a single standard voting method. I think Minnesota's scannable paper ballot system works best. There's a paper trail, but you can use a scanning machine to avoid a hand count. And Scantrons have proven reliable for decades.
But I hope whoever wins federalizes the who damn system.
That's a good point. Touchscreen voting systems are not as foolproof as Scantron-type ballots. It would be nice if the machine reading the ballots provided a confirmation message as well. "I see that you voted for ---. Is this correct?"
Of course this would have to be refined a little since there are a number of offices to vote for. Perhaps just a receipt that prints out confirming your choices. That way you, and the government, has a paper trail.
I really like the Scantron system Minnesota uses. It could be slightly improved for those with bad vision (make things bigger, reduce line thickness between sections to allow the voter to focus on the content/the things being voted on).
I would not want a confirmation system for all items on the ballot in public view. There was only one machine counter in my polling place and that would have made a large line in the voting area. Confirmation should be printed out by the counting machine and given to the voter as they leave. They can quickly inspect it and alert the voting officials/volunteers of any error.
Right, just something simple. In goes ballot, out spits receipt. Receipt has your vote for each office (even ones abstained from) and the sequence number of ballots received at that machine.
That would provide anonymity but also enough of a paper trail to accurately re-trace anything if need be.
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