- End gerrymandering – Have you ever wonder why someone on the next block is displaying a sign for a different candidate from the same party during the general election? They could be voting in a different district. Take a look at this map of the 18 congressional districts in Illinois for the US House of Representatives. Just scroll down and look at the weird shapes, like the 4th, 6th, and 7th (were they trying to draw a couple of the Great Lakes sideways?) districts. These are districts drawn specifically to create voting blocks, rather than for any logical campaign or representation needs. I realize each district needs a comparable number of voters, but this is absurd.
- Publicly funded campaigns
Why should you be rich or good at fundraising to run for office? Much like the issue with career politicians, the amount of money needed to campaign encourages people who are out of touch with middle and lower class citizens to run for office; the average citizen can’t afford to fund a political campaign. As an alternate, remove private money from the campaigning process – give each candidate for a position the same amount of money or material: a set number of ads, mailers, etc., all based on the geographic range of the campaign (a local judge needs less advertising than a presidential campaign). Run all promotional materials through a common site where supporters can purchase them – a face mask (now a thing for political campaigns) for one candidate will cost the same as another, with the intent that it covers the cost rather than generating a profit for the campaign. This would have an added benefit of moving away from our two party system. Make our public servants campaign on issues rather than funds. - Automatic voter registration
We provide the government our information – mostly importantly, our current address – every year when we file taxes. They should also have information on whether the person filing taxes is a citizen; if not, it’s a simple checkbox to add to an overly complicated form. So why should we jump through varying hoops by state for voter registration when the government already has the relevant information? Voting is both a right, but it’s also an obligation, and it should be encouraged. - Election day holiday or expanded early/mail voting options
I don’t actually think both of these are necessary. I know other countries schedule election day as a holiday or on weekends to encourage voting, and I thought it was a great idea when I first heard of it. I think the early and mail voting options override that need, since having a month or two of voting options certainly supersedes trying to cram everybody into a voting line on a single day.
P.S.: Early voting has started. Remember to vote.
If Election Day coincides with Veteran’s Day we honor those who have fought for that right at the same time we use it.
My concern with making Election Day a holiday is that retail America would co-opt it like so many other holidays, and those employees wouldn’t get the day off. Having the mail-in and early voting options allow for far more scheduling flexibility and reduce the overall wait time at the voting booths, encouraging more people to vote.