I guess because John blogged Salon, it’s OK for me to as well.
I actually like Keith Olbermann’s idea where people can vote for “none of the above,” and if that candidate wins, the election is scrapped and held again. The hosers who were actually on the ballot are prohibited from competing in the recast election. “We could make the politicians afraid of the voters again,” says Olbermann. Bravo to that, say I.
I would always vote for None of the Above, regardless of the candidates.
Love it! Right now, I’m reduced to, among other things, writing in my 2 year old for Register of Deeds. A losing fight, but I have high hopes for my write-in campaign for Quincy as County Coroner.
Ironically, it seems that almost the entire political establishment is against mandatory voting: the libertarians and greens, who would likely benefit the most; and the Democrats and Republicans, who are essentially bankrolled on voter apathy and under-education. Just more argument for “trust no one but the system”.
I imagine libertarians and greens have ideological reasons for being against “mandatory” voting (or almost anything else, in the case of libertarians). I completely agree with the D & R assessment.
Mandatory voting would probably result in a huge voter turnout and landslide victories for the candidates promising to abolish mandatory voting.
maybe if they just served god damned Toll House cookies.