So here's the problem

[vlyons]

7,478,933 Texans registered and did not vote.

[rainy]

1. How many registered this year?

[2naSalit]

2. How many just couldn't for reasons other than

choosing not to vote?

[lame54]

10. With early voting the excuse better be a doozy

[Jersey Devil]

3. Agreed. We need to keep expanding our electorate

We are never going to win over the cultural voters in rural areas. The only way to win is to keep expanding our electorate. Gillum, Abrams and Beto did a great job doing that, but unfortunately did didn't get far enough. If we could just raise our turnout percentages we would never have a problem.

How to do that is the big question. I am happy we have someone like Obama working on that very issue.

[northoftheborder]

4. One way to improve voter participation:

Vote on Saturdays, or make election day a national holiday. People who work all day, plus have hours of commuting back and forth really have a difficult if not impossible chance to vote. And the long lines are ridiculous. Have more voting booths!!! Voting by mail is one answer but not the only. My daughter-in-law sent in her application for a ballot a week and a half before the election, and had not received it by yesterday.

[Jersey Devil]

5. Well, in the states where we have a trifecta, why isn't that happening?

I cannot understand why, in states where Dems control both houses of the legislature and the governership, there hasn't been legislation do do exactly as you say. Are they complacent? There really is no excuse for not doing these things immediately.

[northoftheborder]

7. I think it would have to be national, for the national races. Perhaps even a constitutional change.

[Jersey Devil]

9. But all the mechanisms of voting are controlled by the states

Voting machines, dates and times of polling, registration, whether to have certain kinds of absentees, early voting, all controlled by states. We could not pass anything on the federal level so why not do it in those states where we can when we can?

[exboyfil]

8. I am kicking myself

We have Saturday voting at the the county courthouse which is closer to the poorer and more minority sections of our community. When we went to vote it was crickets. For 2020 I wonder if the Democrat leadership could push towards getting more to polls at this time?

[vlyons]

12. I want mail-in ballots like they have in Oregon

Fill in you ballot in your underwear of pajamas. Put it in the envelop, drop in the mail.

[exboyfil]

14. Honey let me just fill out that ballot for you

I am not entirely comfortable with mail in ballots. I took my mom's absentee ballot to her hospital, but I did get her to mark Nelson and Gillum before she thought about it. She did then comment "Isn't Gillum black?" I doubt that ballot ever got mailed, but I did get her to spoil it without her thinking it through too carefully (she is racist).

[HopeAgain]

6. The youth vote

I went to give a lecture in a local high school on Law Day. The topic the ABA picked was separation of powers, and I thought there would be some real interest among the students. Instead, I found, among these juniors and seniors, shocking ignorance about our government, our politics and even our elections.

This was an affluent school in a wealthy neighborhood. Except for one or two, the students had no interest in politics whatsoever. Some couldn't even name the Governor of our State. The teacher explained that this was not an advanced placement class, I suppose meaning that we aren't to expect to much interest in our democracy from the average student.

We have the population advantage, and we need to get to our young people somehow. The number of young voters went up, but there is still an apalling lack of interest from the youth.

[Garrett78]

11. Affordable or free college is probably one of the few ways to get their attention.

[exboyfil]

13. Government is taught in 10th grade in our community

It really should be taught in 12th when some seniors actually can vote in November.

Better yet I think universities should move towards a mandatory Government/Civics class in even year Fall semesters of either the Freshman or Sophomore year. At least one social studies course is required for all majors, and such a course should have registration as an extra credit (credit for actually voting could be problematic).

The course should allow presentations by both the College Republicans and College Democrats (and other groups that garner sufficient class interest based upon a survey given out at the beginning of the semester). The courses could also involve debates and actual federal budget exercises.

We actually have two bites at the apple for Government/Civics. Once in junior high and again in 10th grade. I think the courses are probably taught at too theoretical a level.