Is there any chance that next year we can look hard at election reform?

[OmahaBlueDog]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to see a bipartisan commission meet in 2009. I'd like to see this commission do the following:

1) Come up with national standards for ballot look and feel, papertrail and auditablilty, records retention standards, early voting days and hours, and voter roll management.

2) Revise the "Help America Vote" act to actually (call me crazy here) help people vote. We need to strike some balance that prohibits non residents from voting outside their districts or precincts, but allows for things like moving within a city or getting married to be quickly and easily remedied.

3) Efforts by organizations other than registrars of voters or secretaries of state to remove voters from rolls need to be illegalized.

4) Going forward, I think we need to look at getting away from the current system of voter registration through filling out paper forms (that can disappear or be altered) by private organizations (some well intenioned, some not) and move toward on-line registration available through the internet or libraries.

5) Personally, I am ready to end the current system of primaries. It should be replaced with a 3-tier system. Round 1 reduces however many candidates we start with to 4 and should be held in February. Round 2 in March should eliminate all but the top 2 candidates. Round 3 in April determines the candidate.

[cliffordu]

1. Completely irresponsible for you to suggest anything of the sort.

:sarcasm:

[OmahaBlueDog]

2. It's because I hate America

;-)

[cliffordu]

6. Well.....

OK, then!!!!


:hi:

[tblue]

3. Why this wasn't the first thing the Dem Congress did, I'll never understand.

WTH were they waiting for, the next stolen election?

After this election, we should swear a solemn oath to each other that we will make it our #1 priority. When our votes don't count, we don't count.

[ColbertWatcher]

8. "When our votes don't count, we don't count." Good point.

I think the new congress people had to learn the ropes first.

Not to make excuses, but there has to be a way for our representatives to get acquainted with the job.

It would really have been embarrassing if we had tried to push for real voting reform and have it blow up in our faces. Remember what happened with Hillary and health care? People were "sick" of hearing about it and once it failed, no one would touch it with a ten-foot pole.

[snot]

4. who knows?

i've been completely stunned by Congressional Dems' (not to mention most DU'ers') lack of interest in this subject.

[dhpgetsit]

5. I'm going to be writing my reps about it.

I personally love the mail-in ballot we have in Oregon.

We absolutely have to get rid of the computerized voting machines that can be programmed to cheat, and that have the results counted by private companies. That is total BULLSHIT!

And I think the fact that partisan politicians at the state level have so much influence on how the election is managed is wrong.

[OmahaBlueDog]

13. I just talked with a co-worker in Oregon who thinks it is the way to go

I'm a little concerned about the potential for a group to say "everyone bring your ballots in and we'll mark them up for you." Other than that, I think it's a good idea.

[FLyellowdog]

7. I agree 1000%...well, see, there's our first problem.

[BlueManDude]

9. Abolish the electoral college.

[marions ghost]

10. It MUST be done

n/t

[teamster633]

11. I would like to see them establish an Election Weekend.

And this weekend would be a national holiday, treated with as much deference as Christmas. Everyone would have it off. In this country, founded on the separation of church and state, there is no reason why a Christian holiday is sacrosanct and Election Day is just another work day.

[OmahaBlueDog]

12. I like that, and I'd also like to see voting moved from churches and schools to...

malls and arenas. Larger venues with more parking. Even if we want paper voting, it would be simple enough to have a computer print out your district specific ballot when you show up.