Democrats make federal election standards a top priority

[Judi Lynn]

CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY,
Associated Press
Jan. 23, 2021
Updated: Jan. 23, 2021 6:11 p.m.

Democrats plan to move quickly on one of the first bills of the new Congress, citing the need for federal election standards and other reforms to shore up the foundations of American democracy after a tumultuous post-election period and deadly riot at the Capitol.

States have long had disparate and contradictory rules for running elections. But the 2020 election, which featured pandemic-related changes to ease voting and then a flood of lawsuits by former President Donald Trump and his allies, underscored the differences from state to state: Mail-in ballots due on Election Day or just postmarked by then? Absentee voting allowed for all or just voters with an excuse? Same-day or advance-only registration?

Democrats, asserting constitutional authority to set the time, place and manner of federal elections, want national rules they say would make voting more uniform, accessible and fair across the nation. The bill would mandate early voting, same-day registration and other long-sought reforms that Republicans reject as federal overreach.

“We have just literally seen an attack on our own democracy,” said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, referring to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. “I cannot think of a more timely moment to start moving on democracy reform.”

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Democrats-make-federal-election-standards-a-top-15892637.php

[Laelth]

1. No. I oppose any move to federalize elections.

What if Trump, who controlled the entire Federal government quite recently, also had control of elections? He would be President today.

State control of elections is our greatest bulwark against tyranny. Let the states reign supreme, forever.

-Laelth

[2naSalit]

3. It doesn't sound like that's what they mean.

It sounds more like they are trying to get the states to be more uniform in fair voting practices more than anything else. More of a way to codify the Voting Rights Act from a little different angle since it will take longer to restore the Act. If all states have to employ fair voting practices, it would be better, at least until the can be restored with updates.

[TlalocW]

2. I need to pitch them my idea

States run their elections however they want, but at each polling place is a federal voting machine. People vote twice - electronically, paper, whatever - once for state elections, and then once for just the presidential election. The federal machines/ballots are all taken to a single place where the votes are recorded into a database. When all the votes are recorded, someone hits a button, and the votes for each state are tabulated, and we know almost instantly who wins.

To keep some spectacle in the election, we build a large Price-Is-Right type of game/prop of the United States. When it comes time to tabulate the votes, all the states start flashing between red and blue. As each state's votes are tabulated, they stop flashing as the state associated with whatever political party won it is locked down with a cartoonish metallic "clunk" sound, until all states are through. Running totals are displayed as well that count the electoral votes as each state locks down its color.

TlalocW

[SharonAnn]

5. Single tabulation yields huge opportunity for vote theft!

[TlalocW]

6. Fine

Still divide up the ballots using a single form for the entire country for president but the states tabulate them and give the numbers to the whomever is in charge of the Price is Right map. I won't waiver on that.

TlalocW

[pfitz59]

4. Standardization is cool

I say use the Washington State model. All mail in....