The local Democratic Party headquarters for this last election is across the street from where I work. The office is now closed, but they still have posters and banners and such up in the windows declaring that they tow the party line. One of the signs in the windows says, "Democrats register to vote here."
That got me thinking this morning: Would a no pressure, non-partisan, independent voter place be useful and wanted during major elections?
People would be allowed to register however they want.
There'd be information on the candidates and the state and local measures.
Have some expert information from the left and right side as well as middle-of-the-road statistical analysis.
Also t-shirts and bumper sticker would be sold to help support the place. (You know, we'd aim for a non-profit status.) The shirts and stickers would be both positive ("If You Want Choice, Then Vote") and apathetic/negative ("The Lesser of Two Evils is Still Evil").
Would people go for this sort of thing? Or do they mostly want to flock to a flag so they can be on the "winning" team?
3 comments:
I'd go for it. But I don't live in the US. From what I gather you have to register for one party or the other, right? What if you change your mind?
In the US you can change parties by submitting a new voter registration form. You can also register "not affiliated with any party" or make up a party name and put it on the blank line, which is what my brother did.
Also, I wasn't so much thinking that people have to register a certain way, but more of a place that lets them choose and not feel pressured to pick a specific party. Plus, every major election year there are always stories about Democrats and Republican headquarters throwing out registration forms marked for the other party. That sort of thing should never happen.
In the US you can change parties by submitting a new voter registration form. You can also register "not affiliated with any party" or make up a party name and put it on the blank line, which is what my brother did.
Not necessarily - It depends on what state you live in.
Gwen
www.independentvoting.org
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