Electoral college or popular vote?
current system, parliamentary system, or another system?
The Voting Rights Act?
Current or proposed restrictions on voting beyond age of 18+, U.S. citizen, and "one person, one vote"

This applies to transgender issues because transgender people are often marginalized and marginalized groups of people are most affected by restrictions on voting.

I would keep the electoral college, but apportion votes by congressional district instead of statewide winner takes all. Each state would get 2 at large electoral votes which would be given to the state-wide winner with the remainder of the EV assigned to the winner of each Congressional District.

I'm pretty much fine with everything as-is except that I'd register all adult citizens (only) automatically at age 18 to vote. I would also use electoral ink as they do in some countries to prevent voting more than once. In many countries staining your finger with the ink is a rite of passage too.

I'd abolish Felony Disenfranchisment. It's basically apartheid. The USA locks up people of colour disproportionately, and then takes away their right to vote. It's an embarrassment.

I'd use Approval Voting. Basically you can vote for more than one candidate. This would allow 3rd parties to run without being 'spoilers', and it has proven to be fairer than the alternative IRV.

As for the electoral college, I guess I'd keep it but have states split up the votes like Maine and Nebraska.

Quote from: VioletKnight on October 01, 2015, 11:39:10 PM
I'd use Approval Voting. Basically you can vote for more than one candidate. This would allow 3rd parties to run without being 'spoilers', and it has proven to be fairer than the alternative IRV.

We have that for some local elections. I agree, I would welcome that.

Quote from: VioletKnight on October 01, 2015, 11:39:10 PM
I'd use Approval Voting. Basically you can vote for more than one candidate. This would allow 3rd parties to run without being 'spoilers', and it has proven to be fairer than the alternative IRV.

Either that or a runoff system would be nice. It would let me vote for a 3rd party candidate without worrying about effectively putting the person I least want in office.

I would do away with the electorial college and go by popular vote. I would also make it harder too commit voter fraud.

Quote from: cheryl reeves on November 05, 2015, 04:08:12 PM
I would do away with the electorial college and go by popular vote.

That could become a nightmare in a close election. Under Bush v. Gore, if a recount was required, you would have to recount in every single precinct in the entire country. The Congressional district method (which is I believe what Nebraska and Maine? use) would limit most recounts to individual congressional districts, while keeping some districts in solid Red/Blue states in play.

In Australia we use a preferential system, meaning we can indicate our first, second, third, etc preferences. Essentially it says "I want A to get in, but if they don't them my vote goes to C, if not them, then D, etc"...

Once the first round count has been tallied the candidates with the lowest number of votes are culled and their votes are then distributed by second preference, and so on until you have a winner. In some seats it never matters much because the candidate is very popular and it is cut and dried, in others the preference flow can make all the difference.

It generally yields a result close(ish) to the overall voting intention but it's still open to manipulation and in our national senate we might end up with some representatives who only got 0.1% of the primary vote but benefitted from the preference flow. That's more an issue with how preferences can be allocated between candidates (where a voter only votes for one or a few candidates rather than the whole field) and not the system itself. I kind of wish they'd fix that because it usually results in total crackpots taking the final couple of seats.

Keep the electoral college and maybe tweak the primary system. Automatic voter registration. National holiday for voting or universal Mailed ballots. In Oregon we have mailed ballots and have some of the highest turnout in the nation.

I could even be talked into some sort of tax penalty, etc sort of like shirking jury duty for not voting.

All convicted felons get full voting rights upon paying their societal debt, being off probation etc.

Maximize participation that makes a democracy.

Quote from: RobynD on November 19, 2015, 04:32:36 PM
Keep the electoral college and maybe tweak the primary system. Automatic voter registration. National holiday for voting or universal Mailed ballots. In Oregon we have mailed ballots and have some of the highest turnout in the nation.

I could even be talked into some sort of tax penalty, etc sort of like shirking jury duty for not voting.

All convicted felons get full voting rights upon paying their societal debt, being off probation etc.

Maximize participation that makes a democracy.

We already have too many clueless people voting. Universal voting just turns it into an Elementary School election where you just voted for the person who had the coolest name, because you didn't know who any of the candidates were.

Quote from: lisarenee on November 19, 2015, 06:06:01 PM
We already have too many clueless people voting. Universal voting just turns it into an Elementary School election where you just voted for the person who had the coolest name, because you didn't know who any of the candidates were.

I respectfully disagree. A wide turnout favors leftists and i am one of those for sure. A wide voter turnout supports the poor etc. Liberal policies always do better with a wider turnout. The checks and balances in the democracy, the courts, the executive branch exist to stop the majority from gutting the constitution with those less than optimal candidates that are put into office.

Could the majority elect a true fascist, it is possible? So far we have not seen that in this country. Hopefully if we do the other branches will keep said person in check. The threats to the democracy are many at this point, including citizens united but the democracy is hanging in there.

Quote from: cheryl reeves on November 05, 2015, 04:08:12 PM
I would do away with the electorial college and go by popular vote. I would also make it harder too commit voter fraud.

The electoral college is meant to keep New York and California from dominating federal elections. I see no reason to get rid of it.