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9 things that would make the U.S. a Better Democracy
1. Instant Runoff Voting.
This is the most important first step. Without Instant Runoff Voting a third party will never be able to become strong enough to be elected. With our two-party system, many people are forced to vote between the lesser of two evils. For example, Joe really agrees with the Socialist Party, but he knows they will never get elected to office. Instead, he votes for the Democrats because he fears that voting for the Socialists will take a vote away from the Democrats and let the Republicans win. This is why it is so hard for third parties to break into this country. No one is really happy with who they vote for, but they're too scared to do otherwise. Is this Democracy? No! With Instant Runoff Voting representatives are truly elected. IRV FAQ
2. Walk-In Registration. There is no reason why someone shouldn't be allowed to vote because they didn't have the foresight to register however-many-months earlier. Registration, as it is now, keeps thousands from voting, preventing many from the same interests groups from being represented.
3. Limits on how much money one can donate to a political party. The Green Party allows a maximum of only $10,000 from any one entity to avoid corruption.
4. Abolishing the Electoral College. When the Constitution was first written it was necessary, but now it serves no purpose other than tradition. And as we have seen in two previous elections, it can sometimes lead to a very un-Democratic election.
5. Proportional Representation e.g. 2% of the population votes Liberatarian, so 2% of the seats are Liberatarian.
6. Educating and encouraging people to get involved and follow politics so that when people DO vote, they are well informed and actually know what they're voting for. Other than debate teams (non-existant at my school) and a government class one is required to take senior year, there is very little opportunity for a student to learn anything about current events (here or around the world) in public schools (or at least my school). Also, instead of wasting money on the drug war, money could be used on campaigns to encourage people to vote. My brother, John, also had a good idea. Why don't we just pay people $5 to vote? When you think about it, it kinda makes sense, though I can see how some people would vote randomly just to get five bucks.
7. Unbiased news (I know you can't really change that with a law).
8. Pay Elected Officials Less By paying politicians less we can get rid of the rich elite running our country in their own interests. By being in the same class as the average person, the politician can better understand what the average person needs.
9. Eliminate Corporations Represented as Individuals A huge conglomerate like Microsoft should not be looked upon as the same as you or me.
....Man, if I ruled the world, everyone would be so much happier.
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