Dumping the Electoral College and adding compulsory and preferential voting systems is needed to revitalize American Democracy.
Compulsory Voting is the process of requiring citizens to register to vote and to go to their polling precinct on Election Day. It is currently used in over 20 countries throughout the world. This has been the law in Australia since 1924. A voter turnout of 98 percent is the norm rather than an unattainable dream as it would be the case here in the United States. Until this was made a law in Australia, voter turnout was as low as 24 percent. As a result, the Australian political leaders cannot hide in the equivalent of Crawford, Texas. They must reach all the people all the time. Voter suppression is not an option.
Everyone 18 and above should vote not just as a right but as a required communal obligation. And before you dismiss the idea of compulsory voting as a lost idealistic cause and insist that Americans have the right to do with their lives whatever they want - surely they are free not to wear helmets, not to wear seat belts, not to register for the draft - just remember there are already plenty of laws that tell you what to do on all these items.
During the 2002 midterm elections, we saw only 33 percent turnout and in 2000 just north of 50 percent. All votes in a presidential election should count equally. The Senate is enough to protect states rights.
This obligation to vote needs to be accompanied by compulsory classes in government from kindergarten to 12th-grade at school with voter registration at schools being made an integral part of the course.
My contention is that this would change the nature of political campaigns and change it for the better. In Australia, where this system is well tested, the leaders are in constant public view with tough questions being asked by the media and the opposition every day.
Another process that would improve American democracy is Preferential Voting.
Preferential voting is a bit more tricky idea that has also been well tested in Australia, England and Canada and even the odd place in America.
Preferential or forced rank voting is a system where the voter states a rank for every candidate on the ballot. If there are four presidential candidates, the voter would place a #1 next to the first choice and then a #2 for the second choice, and so forth. This means that you get the chance to express your views about all candidates.
When they tally the votes, the one with the lowest tally is eliminated and has all their votes recounted for the second preferences on those ballots, which are then allocated to the remaining candidates. This process is repeated until there are just two candidates left and the winner will have a majority of all votes cast. It is like a built-in run-off election.
It ensures that everyone's vote is counted in the final outcome and allows you to cast that protest vote for a new candidate that could not win and not have "wasted" your vote - but it sends a valuable signal to the "major" parties that there is significant disaffection with their policies, and with any luck this makes them look harder at their policies. It also means there is no doubt that the final choice was the best compromise choice for the majority of voters.
The Electoral College really has to go. The 2000 Presidential election gave us the clue as to why and the 2004 Campaign has now proven the point beyond doubt regardless of who wins. The vast majority of campaigning time and expenditure has gone into the 18 "swing states" and the candidates basically have not spent time focusing on meeting the needs of voters in the other states. While they might score more votes, it will not make a difference to the outcome, in all probability.
Isn't that a major problem? This makes you feel like your vote does not count in places like New York, California and Massachusetts. That is a major problem. Everyone's vote should have equal value no matter where they choose to live. Let the Senate be the place that protects the minority from the tyranny of the majority. Let's not have the whole leadership of the country determined by the minority, just because of where they live. That is formula for a revolution if it happens one more time.
If we could manage to achieve these reforms America would once again become a beacon of light for the world democratic movement. Today it is in danger of becoming some kind of outcast that can neither assure the world or its citizens that its government really represents its people let alone be a legitimate world leader.