Voting, as we are so often told, is a vital and divine right in
a democracy. But registering to vote is often a frustrating
experience. And once you are registered, you have to find your
polling place or use the arcane absentee voting process.
California, and the nation, should look abroad for ideas to
streamline its voting system.
In California, a little over 55 percent of eligible U.S.
citizens turned out to vote in the 2000 presidential election,
according to statistics compiled by the United States Elections
Project.
This number compares poorly to many European countries, such as
Belgium, Turkey, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, and five other nations
where voter turnout has often been above 80 percent.
Belgium had the highest turnout recently ““ 93 percent
““ but also has a law requiring its citizens to vote.
The high European turnout is often attributed to the fact that
these nations have proportional representation, making every vote
“count” more.
But the United Kingdom uses a district system like the United
States, and it had a 76 percent turnout when U.S. turnout was 38
percent.
Perhaps some of this difference can be attributed to the
registration process.
The U.K. sends cards to all households that can be used to
register and request a ballot by mail. The U.K. also allows people
as young as 16 to register ““ though they are not allowed to
vote until 18.
Many countries also streamline the process on election day.
In Mexico, voters can go to any polling station in their
precinct, but photo ID is used to verify that people attempting to
vote are registered. Ink is used to mark the thumb of those who
have already voted.
(This is similar to the system used in the recent elections in
Afghanistan, and some disputed the durability of the ink ““
but the United States could undoubtably use a more secure
electronic or biometric verification system.)
In Germany, individuals are automatically registered to vote and
are mailed registration cards. In 1998, eligible voter turnout was
about 82 percent.
Though it’s a mystery why the United States, a country
that so idolizes innovation, hasn’t seen its electoral
process evolve, it doesn’t mean you should remove yourself
from the process.
The last day to register in California is Monday, Oct. 18. That
means your form must be filled out and postmarked by that date, or
you won’t be allowed to vote in the upcoming presidential
election.
If you’re from another city in California, you can request
an absentee ballot until Oct. 26.
For out-of-state students, many deadlines have passed. But some
states are still offering absentee ballots.
No matter how annoying it might seem, how minute you perceive
your influence or how scared you are of getting jury duty (the two
aren’t linked), you can’t give up.
Just think: One day, you might vote for a candidate who believes
18th-century voting practices should be upgraded for the 21st
century.