This year’s U.S.
Senate Republican primary in Mississippi is still filling the media. Even
though the GOP declared a winner, a challenge continues. Given the turmoil, the
Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s leading newspaper, has come out endorsing
the need for election reform (verbatim below).
The call for election
reform continues to grow. As I mentioned on Twitter Friday, August 8th,
the New Mexico legislature is poised to
act next year. As highlighted elsewhere on this blog, activity and calls for
election reform are coming from media and leading politicians.
Nevada can lead the
nation by enacting the most inclusive voting system in the nation. The time for
the Nevada Election Modernization and Reform Act is NOW.
Time
to reform state’s election process
If the aftermath of the Republican primary
for U.S. Senate has shown us anything, it is that it is past time for the
Legislature to pass meaningful — and even sweeping — election reforms.
If the aftermath of the Republican primary for U.S. Senate has
shown us anything, it is that it is past time for the Legislature to pass
meaningful — and even sweeping — election reforms.
The first thing that needs to be addressed is the state statute
that seeks to provide political parties the right to enforce party loyalty
among voters. Given the landscape and political realities of local elected
offices in Mississippi, such a law is all but enforceable. Many solutions
exist, but the two most obvious are either to create a system of party
registration or to do away with the current statute.
A second area of reform should be in absentee voting. What is
designed to be a means for people who will not be able physically to vote on
election day has been abused by candidates as a way to legally stuff ballot
boxes and as a hacked-together early voting system. If lawmakers would adopt an
early voting procedure, then they could easily overhaul absentee voting laws
without running the risk of disenfranchising people.
Our runoff system is another area where lawmakers should turn
their attention. The current system once made sense, but the technology of
today provides us with the opportunity to forgo a two-round runoff system.
Lawmakers should take a look at instant-runoff voting.
Several variations of IRV exist, but the gist of the system is
that voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no one wins on the first
balloting, then the votes are recounted using the second choice of voters whose
first choice did not make the “runoff.” IRV saves money and time, but there are
understandable hesitations. Nevertheless, it is a system that is gaining
popularity, and lawmakers should begin to look at it.
Investing in technology could also save time, money and
heartburn in election challenges.
Instead of having to rely on different books for different
primaries, all voting records for a precinct would be in one database. Not only
would it make it easier for poll workers to ensure proper record-keeping for
each balloting, it would automate the process of ensuring someone voting in one
party primary was not allowed to vote in another party’s primary runoff.
Finally, the most important election reform that lawmakers can
undertake next year is to change the way primaries are conducted. That
responsibility currently falls to political parties, which — as we can see in
this election — still leads to conflicts of interest and too many variations in
the manner in which the elections are conducted. Like general elections, party
primaries should be conducted by counties and the state. While parties should
still have some sort of active involvement, they should not be in sole charge.
Our electoral process should be one of the most important
aspects of our democracy.
Lawmakers, starting with Senate Elections Committee Chairman
Chris McDaniel, should spend a lot of time next year making sure it is a model
system for the nation and that Mississippi voters can easily and efficiently
cast their ballots with faith in the integrity of our elections.
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