In Part I, I came to the conclusion we cannot get money out of politics. It does not matter how we try, money will find a crack, a loophole, a hole and flow to pols. A small stream seems to become a torrent within one election cycle. No one can stop the tide.
Since we cannot stop the flow, we need to end any pretenses that we can. The presidential election fund, in particular, needs to be stopped. We don’t actually end the fund, we merely redirect the money.
The agency that administers the fund does not even need to be renamed since the Federal Election Commission will take over the funding of all election operations in our states and localities. The FEC will distribute money to pay for the people, places and stuff needed to administer an election.
The Federal Government, We the People, will pay for all of our elections. States, counties, and localities will be given money by the FEC. It will take a bit more than the current check off of $3. Perhaps, $10 a year for every tax filer is a reasonable amount. If more is needed, that’s okay. It’s a sensible expense that benefits us all.
States, counties and other jurisdictions spend a small mountain of money to run elections. In the interest of fair, uniform elections from coast to coast, We the People, will pay for them all. We will pay money to each organization that administers and runs elections. We will not merely cut 50 checks, akin to a block grant, to cover each State’s costs. I’m sorry, I do not quite trust the States to insure that the money will be spent as intended. Hence, many more than 50 payments a year will be made.
As we do this, we ask for a return on our national investment in elections. This is only fair. It’s akin to the return expected by large donors to political campaigns. We pay. We demand. So what should we demand?
We demand ownership of the entire election apparatus. We buy the voting process from A to Z. We buy the voter registration laws. We buy the voter ID laws. We transform voting into one uniform process in every jurisdiction in our nation. We set the rules and let the states implement them, but it’s more of a fully funded mandate than not. Our goal is to fully realize the idea of one person, one vote. It will take time, but we will have one standard to become a voter, and one standard to cast a vote. It will be the same in every jurisdiction.
We buy the elections proper. We pay for the primaries and general elections. As we pay for them we expect a few changes in their structure. Political primaries will be restructured.
We will require that all primaries for any office follow a set of standards for ballot access and follow the same calendar of events. In other words, primaries, become a series of nationally scheduled elections. States and localities use the same calendar for state and local only elections. The election process will be a multiple part annual event.
The mechanics of elections will become uniform. Similarly ballot access is also standardized. Elections, the primaries, become series of runoff and general elections. We open the ballot to anyone who wants to run for an office as long as they meet a couple of requirements.
To become a primary candidate an individual must pay a filing fee. This needs to be small enough to encourage people to run for office, but large enough to deter frivolous pursuits. Perhaps in the $100-$1,000 range, perhaps more. Oh, filing fees are sent back to the FEC and are not retained at the State, local or party level.
Along with the filing fee, potential candidates will have to demonstrate that they are serious candidates. They will have to submit petitions signed by registered voters in their jurisdiction who approve of the individuals run for office.
By accepting the funds to run elections, States and localities agree to a runoff primary structure with reasonable ballot access requirements. If this sounds as though it might challenge the current two party structure, well, it might, but it might not too.
After candidates get on the ballot, when do we have elections? First, we end Tuesday elections. All elections become weekend activities. People may vote on Saturday or Sunday. Polls will open late, say 10 a.m. but will stay open late, say 10 p.m. We hope this will increase voting participation. It would be delightful to see at least 75% turnouts for every election. We might hit 85% for presidential elections.
Besides changing ballot access and when we vote, we increase the number of elections by one. The first election, is the runoff primary election. Any number of people can be on the ballot. It is open to any qualified candidate. That means there might be multiple Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, etc. The ballot is composed of people who met the ballot access rules. There is no party qualification per se. There is will no longer be any government sanctioned party primaries.
If parties wish to privately convene to qualify people for the ballot, that’s great. However, it’s all party money that is involved. No tax dollars can be used to assist a party in any way. Nothing in kind can go from the state to a party. Some states use variations on runoff primaries already, we can, as we go forward see how well they have done and learn from their experiences.
Now that we have a ballot ready for weekend voting, what weekends will become national voting weekends? The first primary is the elimination runoff vote. The next election will be the runoff that establishes the final two or more candidates who go on to the general election. To borrow from sports, it’s similar to having quarter finals, semi finals and the championship game, but it’s elections for public office.
The first primary, or quarter final, election be held on the weekend preceding April 15th. Given that the 15th is tax day, it may make folks a bit more sensitive for whom they cast their ballots.
The first primary candidates are winnowed for the next runoff elimination election. There will need to be some rules that determine how many go forward. At least half and no fewer than four seems reasonable. However, if half is a number such as fifty, sixty or more, we will need a way to keep it sensible, 4-15 candidates or so seems manageable.
At any rate, the winnowed slate will continue to a run-off, the semi-finals. The run-off will yield the final two (or three if you’d rather) that head to the finals or general election. The second run-off election should occur about July 4th. A weekend before or when the 4th is on a weekend seems to be a good date. The run-off yields the candidates for the general election.
The general election is still helped in November, but it’s on the first full weekend in November. Two days of voting to select a Senator, a Representative, and a President seems eminently reasonable.
I assume the same benefits that accrue to federal elections following this process would also accrue at the local level. In essence, through the structure of our elections we empower ourselves to be responsible citizens and vote. That’s not a bad thing.
Oh, one last item. I accept that we cannot limit money. It’s a losing proposition. Perhaps we can set a timetable for both running and funding races. Campaigning and fund raising should begin before January 1st of a given election year. Along the way we have eliminated all the rules restricting money in our politics. We eliminate all the explorations, committees to assess and such. However as money flows it will have to be transparently and completely accounted for. That seems to be a reasonable trade. Effectively, Reps will have one year to live up their oath of office and one year to fund raise. Ditto with the Senate (1of 5) and the President (1 of 4).
I think we will need to think a bit more about the money though.
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