Voting Reform

With the fear of being melodramatic, I will say that the fundamental survival of democracy idealism is the preservation of the electorate’s voice. In the wake of two elections marred by voter fraud, suppression, deception, fabrication, and many other words that end in –ion, voting reform should be brought to the forefront of American politics. That is exactly what a current bill in congress, sponsored by Hillary R. Cllinton, Barbara Boxer, John Kerry and Frank Lautenberg, aims to do. The bill, very ambitious in its goals, will call for:

- Recounts in 2 percent of all polling places

- Restrictions on the political affiliations of electronic voting machine manufactures

- The creation a voting machine minimums in each precinct (in attempt to dissolve up to 10 hour long voting lines experienced this last election)

- Limiting states’ ability to throw out voter registration forms

- Outlawing voter deception (I.E. fliers giving false information)

- Election day to become a federal holiday

Aside from short term goals, the bill, if passed, promises to make the validation of election results a nonpartisan issue—preserve the great American tradition of election equality. The United States should use the success of the Iraq election to inspire election idealism at home.