The presidential primary system is broken, empowering too few voters in the same few undeserving states to pick the nominees each time. Worse, the will to change things hits a wall at the major political parties. At least the new recommendations of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, a bipartisan effort led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, will get people talking about what’s wrong and what might fix it. Most interesting: the commission’s call for Congress to do what the parties won’t and require four rotating regional presidential primaries (regrettably, while still letting Iowa and New Hampshire go first). Also worthy: the call for voting machines to have a verifiable paper trail. Less appealing: a recommendation that voter registration become a state-level function and that voters must show photo ID cards.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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9 Comments
Rhonda
Why is it that the left opposes simple measures to prevent voter fraud like requireing photo ID’s to vote? We already require photo ID’s to register to vote in Kansas and I believe that we require those photo ID’s when we vote for the first time after changing voting districts. What’s the problem.
If the majority of voter fraud in this country was being perpetrated by folks voting Republican I guarantee the left would scream for photo ID’s but then thats not the case is it.
As for voting machines I agree that they should have a paper trail.
I also like the rotating regional primary idea. The fact that they would let Iowa and New Hampshire go first wouldnt be very consequential as long as the following regions would have to rotate.
The Republican party has at least since the Civil Rights days of the 60’s sought to limit access to the polls, knowing that their base is richer and more knowledgeable of the importance of voting.
That’s why they have so vehemently opposed “motor voter” registration, 24 hour voting period, and holidays for voting. Under the guise of preventing “fraud,” they actively prevent anti-Republic voting blocs from free and easy access to the polls.
It’s totally opposed to everything America stands for, but, hey, it does work, doesn’t it.
Galahad
Guess which party worked harder to prevent the voting rights act from passing? ( a clue- it wasnt Republicans running the filibuster)
Republicans want everyone who is eligible to vote, to vote, ONCE.
History shows over and over again that the greatest cases of voter fraud in recent decades were perpetrated by Democrats. Why should we want to make it easier for cheaters to cheat.
If you care enough to vote you can make it to the polls between 7 and 7 or, you can do an absentee ballot, those are easy enough.
Since when do you have to be rich to understand the importance of voting? Sounds like the soft bigotry of low expectations to me.
Well, heck, Heck, if you could think without the RW spin, what I meant was that it’s easier to vote if you’re rich. You tell your secretary that you’ll be back in an hour. Your kids are safely at daycare or with a nanny. You don’t have to worry about 3 dollar a gallon gas etc.
You ignore people forced to wait outside in the rain for hours on end because the Republicans in charge of voting shorted Democratic districts of machines that worked in Ohio last election.
That’s not “soft bigotry.” That’s soft headedness.
And there’re so many other example of voter purges and electronic glitches and “lost” registrations and faked recounts and exit polls that don’t make sense in Ohio (2004) and Florida (2000) by Repugs against Dems, that it’s ridiculous to accuse Dems of “stealing” elections.
If we’re stealing elections, why are we doing it so badly?
Doesn’t even make good nonsense . . .
Because you’re too stupid to even know how to cheat!
You tried your best to be funny, NoJo.
And look what happened, you failed miserably.
The lesson? Never try . . .
Heckler, You said:”History shows over and over again that the greatest cases of voter fraud in recent decades were perpetrated by Democrats.”
I’d like to see proof of that. Please limit it to 20th and 21st century.
NoJo, “too stupid to know how to cheat”? I’m sure you and your friends could teach us a lot about cheating.
Glahad,You’re the Rush Limbaugh of the left. You make up crap and say anything (LIE!) to say you’re right about a particular topic. Then, if someone has an oposing opinion, or disagrees with you, then you reach for personal insults.
From now on, thou, oh Galahad, will be named “Bizzaro Rush”.
Oh, ouch, that hurt. I was called a (gasp) “liar” by someone who provided exactly no evidence to back it up.
Here’s a quiz–
What do BTK, Timothy McVie, and George W. Bush all have in common?
They’re all registered Republicans.
And that’s no lie.
Here’re a few other good solid Republicans who illustrate their party’s values.