People, who don’t vote, often choose not to vote because they don’t believe that voting is relevant to the live they lead. They feel powerless to change the constant mode of survival they exist within. Perhaps the most memorable example of votes being rendered irrelevant is the election year of 2000. This infamous year was the first time in American history that a President was chosen by verdict of the Supreme Court. Although, today it is common to see elections being contested in the courts. A precedent has now been set. Furthermore, recent truths of caging lists, voter registration fraud, voter intimidation, voter suppression, and voter intimidation have taught us all too well that the American voting process is tainted. It is you, the politicians, who have tainted this process. Election fades into election as corporate interests invade and privatize our Democracy. The results mostly come at the expense of taxpayers. It is not enough that propaganda is inserted into our news cycle. It is not enough that we are searched at random while taing the subway to work. It is not enough that “Habeas Corpus” is fading. It is not enough that for the first time in 100 years, the military plans to deploy an Army brigade on home soil so that they might be called upon to help with crowd and traffic control, It is not enough that freedom of speech is relegated to cages and designated zones. It is not enough that the government now reads our mail at will. It is not enough that we disrobe in public for airport security. It is not enough that wire taps and searches barely require warrants anymore. It is not enough that prankster kids get tasered for asking questions and citizens are thrown out of political rallies for wearing the wrong t-shirt and yet it still isn’t enough that librarians are compelled to share our personal information and the NSA listens when they feel like it. These are the rights we’ve lost. Voting is a right we never had. Our right to vote isn’t even guaranteed by the constitution. I feel this fact best showcases our government’s lack of sincerity. Each year that passes we, the citizens of America, lose more rights. Each year, simultaneously, the rights of corporations are emboldened. Without these rights our society is stripped of its ability to stand up and defend it’s self. We have taken for granted the notion that you, who govern us, cherish and encourage our votes. Voting is now a power struggle between the two dominant parties in government but this is not what voting was intended to be. Voting was intended by the founding fathers to be the voice of the people. Any government official who chooses not to defend the voice of the people is, by default, choosing not to do their job. Despite the discouraging recent history in Ohio, Florida and numerous other states, voting matters to the people. Voting IS the power of the people. Democracy cannot exist without their voices. It’s time that you, our elected officials, make it clear that voting matters to government by ensuring that the votes of citizens CAN dictate change.

• Guarantee our “right to vote” plainly in writing for all to see. The right to vote should not be a loophole that exists solely to be exploited by greed. We, as Americans, deserve the right to vote and YOU should make sure we have it. One person—one vote, what could be more American?

• Campaign reforms: The time for public financing is upon us. In addition to the air of corruption that corporate money breathes into the democratic process, our government officials and their votes are held hostage by the interests of the oil, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries. Until we remove the financial contributions of corporate interests, the American public will not be safe nor will they thrive

• Federal Voting Holiday: The backbone of our constitution is that we vote; yet voting is implemented in such a way that makes it difficult for people from every class to be a part of that vote. It seems more sensible to me that voting should take place over the course of two days and one of those days should be a weekend day. Perhaps even one of those days should be considered a paid government holiday acknowledged by employers? If voting is what enables our constitution, why is it that we make no official space for it in the conscience of our society? How long will we continue to treat voting as a trivial matter? If our own government does not deem voting important then why would the people see it any differently? Make voting a priority for yourselves and for the people.

• If we continue to allow media outlets to host Presidential Debates then we must require that they give equal time to each candidate and provide a larger pool of top candidates —including third party candidates. The job of the media is to inform. It is not their place to choose our candidates for us.

• “Require media to provide free air time for informing the public of the positions of candidates as a condition of receiving a lease of bandwidth.” This suggestion is provided by smartcampaigns.com and speaks to the ever-growing need to exorcise the immense waste of money that campaigns pay each election cycle just to make contact with the people. The airwaves belong to the people and are leased to corporations with the understanding that they will be used to perpetuate the best interests of the public. EVERY lease has stipulations. We are within our rights to require the use of these airwaves to benefit our communities and our Democracy. Throughout the course of every election, I take note of the immense amount of money paid out by campaigns for advertising and various other expenses. It seems like such a waste. I see the homeless on our streets and I read stories about illiterate Americans and hungry American children. Couldn’t the money be better spent

• “Impose a gag rule on polls, dishonest or misleading characterization of candidates’ positions and records, and partisan punditry during the primary election season” Smartcampaigns.com makes this suggestion in an effort to achieve fairer elections. As it stands, the control of the media in the selection of our president is discouraging. If a gag rule jepardizes freedom of the press then at the very least campaign propaganda and news coverage should be required to undergo stringent fact checking processes. Choosing a President is more than an important decision. It is electing a way of life. This decision is heavily influenced by the news cycle. The news offers more opinion than it does fact, leaving voters uninformed and often manipulated by political drama. They, who provide news, must be held accountable in some manner. Balance must be restored.

• Mandate Federal uniform voting standards: To say that changes need to be made to our current voting process would be an understatement. At the very least we should guarantee that election returns have a paper trail that can be referenced and verified in times of doubt. The most important decisions made in our country are made by the people through their vote. The uncertainty that surrounds the casting of votes is unacceptable.

• Mandate Federal uniform voter registration standards: Voting is how citizens contribute to the law-making process. Why confuse the country with various requirements for registration? This confusion lays the groundwork for massive abuse on the part of insincere interests. Warren Slocum, San Mateo’s Chief Elections Officer, offers the following advise when considering election reform:

Allow voter registration at the polls on Election Day

• Require secretaries of state and registrars of voters – both of which are elected positions – to hold nonpartisan office

• Stop using voter files to create jury pools, which deters people from registering to vote.

• Improve mandatory poll worker training, as most Election Day mistakes are made at the precincts by poll workers who have inadequate preparation.

• Create an election administration profession. Elections are so sophisticated these days that to run them requires specialized education and training.

• Strengthen post-election audits, as there is great disparity among states as to what constitutes a reliable election audit. California has a manual count law.

• Create a national open-source software voting system (such as that advocated for by the Open Voting Consortium), with incentives for states and counties to migrate to it.

• Mandate the extension of poll closing times, in a national uniform way so that we may begin to alleviate the disparity between the different time zones and offer the public more latitude in casting their votes. With these new closing times in place media should be asked to collectively agree that news guestimations of election outcomes will begin only after the last vote is cast. With the emerging modern day 24-hour news cycle it is imperative that voters not be discouraged from voting by the notion that their candidate has already lost. Ensure that the American public not only is afforded the ability to vote but also the clarity required to make such important decisions

• Standardize the verification of tabulations made by electronic voting systems against the paper trail of votes cast. Fair voting is, or should be, our highest priority. The importance of “getting it right” when it comes to counting our votes cannot be more crucial to the stability of Democracy. We have seen that the electronic voting systems are flawed and we have seen that they make mistakes. It can only benefit Democracy to compare the results for any blatant discrepancies.

• Say NO to voters ID legislation: The statistics on voter fraud indicate that the incidents of people abusing their vote are few. The recent trend in some states toward requiring voters to present identification before voting is discouraging. Poverty and age are factors in obtaining official identification. The elderly don’t drive anymore and have difficulty traveling to and from voting facilities. The impoverished often can’t afford the minimal fees required to obtain identification. The elderly and the impoverished are a healthy portion of society. Until we offer more stability and opportunity, we cannot require photo id prior to voting.

• Voter intimidation and suppression must be stopped. In the wake of Ohio and Florida we are now hyper-aware of just how vulnerable American voters are. Voter suppression is a nation-wide epidemic. It takes on many forms and has many participants. Participants have included our government officials, our police force, and political campaign operatives. Voters have been purposely purged as the direct result of caging lists. Seemingly official letters have targeted unwanted voters with misinformation and/or intimidation. Rules have been changed which invalidated the registration of numerous voters. Felon lists have robbed innocent citizens with similar names of their ability to cast votes. The list goes on and on and every addition to the list is unacceptable. This is not a Democratic, Independent, or Republican problem. This is an American problem and it deserves an American solution.

• Voting by mail can work. I would like to see every state implement a vote by mail system in addition to their standard voting process. In addition, I would like to see the existing programs reformed to secure the process further by enforcing similar the safeguard measures put in place by Oregon’s Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury. Our government has the ability to negotiate with corporations such as: Fed Ex and UPS to ensure that our votes end up in the right place at the right time. Furthermore, it makes sense to limit the window of time, in which, these “vote by mail” votes are accepted. Voting too early in an election can leave a voter feeling regretful at the end of an election process when so much takes place in the last few weeks of an election.

• Once Absentee ballots have been received, the government should provide confirmation notices to alert each voter that their vote has been received.

• Reform the Primary elections system by implementing “instant run off voting” thereby encouraging more participation by moderate and independent voters.

• Conduct a comprehensive public review of all congressional districting and make official determinations as to how fair the current districts are when evaluated by the Supreme Court’s basic principals for congressional redistricting: 1. One person-one vote, 2. Protection for minorities and 3. Observance of traditional political boundaries where these do not interfere with the first two principals. When conducting this review, consider one principal further: The impact of competitive elections or the lack thereof. Fair and competitive elections bring out the best in our country while earning the respect of the world around us.

• Ban Black Box / Electronic/ Touch screen voting until tests prove that this method is reliable and secure. Time and time again, tests have proven that voting machines such as the ones manufactured by Diebold (who have since changed their name to “Premiere Election Solutions”) are unreliable. There is a great need to implement standards for such companies to meet and follow. If these companies cannot meet those standards then they cannot be a part of the voting process. Privatizing Democracy is tricky business. Care must be taken to fully understand these new elements we have thrust upon the process. Trust is a vital part of the American voting experience. If we cannot guarantee the validity of the voting process then we do not deserve title of “Democracy.”