If you are somehow associated with any of the nearly voter-suppression bills — 22 of which have already become laws in other states according to the Brennan Center for Justice, shame on ya for six years. Manchin is the senator from West Virginia who could facilitate via multiple political mechanisms the passage into law of the For the People Act, a bulwark against voter suppression in a package of reforms that would set federal standards for online and same-day voter registration, for early voting, for mail-in ballots, and would cut-off so-called dark money contributions to campaigns from undisclosed donors, and would end gerrymandering.
Put another way, this For the People Act would make it easier to vote rather than harder, something many Republicans have no interest in. The more people vote, the less relevant they become. More insidious than even the voter suppression mechanisms humming like cicadas all over the landscape are the portions of these new bills and laws that allow legislatures and judges to toss out election results they deem uncomfortable with minimal evidence of voting irregularity.
But neither are elections a substitute for expert and professional intermediation. The Founding Fathers were right to insist on a hybrid system that applies both kinds of filters. They were right to argue as Madison does in Federalist No. Unfortunately, decades of progressive and populist reforms have thrown the system out of kilter by delegitimizing and often demonizing intermediaries. Empowering pols, pros, hacks and machines is a tough case to make right now, and no wonder: It has been a generation, maybe two, since the public has heard a robust, unapologetic case for political intermediation.
Today, when so many people sense that politics has gone off the rails, is the right time to begin reinvesting in that case. FixGov Parties need to vet candidates—before the primary ballot is printed Jonathan Rauch. Related Books. More on U. Play Audio. More than half of American adults plan to cast ballots in November, but only a third of people ages 18 to 29 say they will. See also: Many reasons why you really, really should. Going into the election, I was so proud to be in this country at this moment, so proud to be voting for Hillary Clinton.
I had my Clinton sweatshirt on all day. Watching the results come in, it was just disheartening. My faith in the whole system was crushed pretty quickly. That was the first general election I could vote in, too. Those actual full-progressive candidates make me optimistic. Full disclosure: I have a ballot sitting at home. In my senior year in high school, I was probably borderline socialist.
My friend gave me The Prince, by Machiavelli. I got into Hellenism. I read Cicero, Livy. Later on, I got into Voltaire. Then, in college, my field is American politics and political science. I prefer constitutional law and Alexander Hamilton. Somebody provides a new avenue of thought, and it changes the way I think about something. I never felt certain enough to vote. In , I almost did. I tried to register for the election, but it was beyond the deadline by the time I tried to do it.
I hate mailing stuff; it gives me anxiety. I was particularly interested in voting in because Donald Trump is so stupid. It drove me up a wall — he knew way less about the government than I do. I have ADHD, and it makes it hard for me to do certain tasks where the payoff is far off in the future or abstract. You need to make people enthusiastic and engaged. After , a couple friends became a lot more politically active, and they helped me register and mail the form. So I actually am registered now.
It feels like the reason to vote is symbolic. In the end, whether I vote probably depends on how close the candidates are. I rent and move around quite a bit, and when I try to get absentee ballots, they need me to print out a form and mail it to them no more than 30 days before the election but also no less than seven days before the election. We deserve politicians that are willing to do stuff for our future instead of catering to people who will not be here for our future.
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