NYT: How to Fix a Broken Election System

[democrattotheend]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/opinion/how-to-fix-a-broken-election-system.html

While President Obama was delivering his victory speech in the early hours of Wednesday, Nov. 7, people were still standing in line in Florida to vote. Thousands had waited hours to vote in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, some in the cold, some giving up wages to do so. In a spontaneous aside — “by the way, we have to fix that” — the president acknowledged the unnecessary hardship of casting a vote in the United States and established a goal that he now has an obligation to address.


The long lines can be shortened with commitments from Washington, as well as state and local governments, but they are just the most glaring symptom of a deeply broken democratic process. In too many states, it’s also needlessly difficult to register to vote. States controlled by Republicans continue to erect partisan impediments to participation. And the process for choosing a candidate remains bound to unlimited and often secret campaign donations that are bound to lead to corruption.

[LuckyLib]

1. Take away states' rights to control the election process. This is key: "States controlled by

Republicans continue to erect partisan impediments to participation." This is a violation of the civil rights of many Americans, and need to be brought to a halt.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Glad some awareness is growing here.

[Rex]

3. Want to fix a broken system? Just keep Repukes

away from the controls. Problem solved.

[SoCalDem]

4. Politicos always avoid the simple, and wander into impossible territory

The simple:

1...Congress passes a law that STANDARDIZES ballots for President-Senate-House..
2...It's alphabetical..on a 5 x 7 card-stock (never more than 3 races)
3...The template is down-loadable for states so they can enter their own candidates
4...A Sharpie, a card and 30 seconds does it.

I'm sure that techies could figure out a way to scan & count them

Cards would be numbered with a tear off numbered tab at the bottom as the "receipt"

Congress should also pass laws that standardize the size of voting-precincts (by numbers), and mandate that vote-counting machines are available at ALL places where people vote...and that tallies are uploaded in real time as they are verified on the spot after voting. There are enough unemployed/under employed people to make sure they are adequately staffed.

States & their legislatures could design any kind of ballot they liked for their own races/propositions. They could be 50 page Origami ballots for all I care, but on the ones that matter to the whole country, I like MY suggestion ..

Every state uses the same one..and they could even have an Express line for the ones who don't want to vote for dog-catcher & city council.

Every state should also have early voting that includes at least 4 weekends prior to the actual election day.

Also, neighborhood schools & public libraries should be "deputized" as the default voting place for every locale. People know where they are, and most have plenty of spaces that would serve well as polling places.

Election day should be a school holiday, so people can have adequate parking places, and access to vote there.

[Aerows]

5. Here's the problem

Republicans don't WANT more participation. They want LESS participation, because when people vote, they get voted out of office. They aren't going to suddenly change and want voter participation - it's even worse for them now when people vote. Win at any cost is their motto, and if that means denying Americans their Constitutional right to vote, so be it.

[SoCalDem]

6. If it's a law, they would have to comply.

Of course we also need to simultaneously get some standardization of eligibility and ID so that it does not matter if you are in Indiana or Utah or Kansas..Citizens should always be able to vote for president (at the very least)

Republicans will always challenge "the other" ..It's in their DNA. We must override that impulse with rock-solid proof, so that NO ONE is ever deterred from voting.

The team that helped Obama win, should focus on making sure that everyone has "gold-standard" ID so that no quirky state law anywhere can disqualify a voter. This has to be cheaper than law suits and the possibility of mass-disenfranchisement

[Aerows]

7. I agree with you

There has to be some way to standardize things.

[CatWoman]

8. my only problem with this

is the Times chiming in after the fact.

during the time voter suppression was going full strength, there was silence in the MSM.

The only people who stayed on top of it was our friends on MSNBC (Big Ed, Rev Al, Rachel, Lawrence).

[Change has come]

9. K & R