PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REFORM
Salvaging the Original Intentions of the Founding Fathers
through Modern Electronic Technology
About the Pace
The pace of the new election game is designed for the convenience of everyone involved. The PLT is given in January on a Saturday so that the work week won't be disrupted. Then the F.E.C. has 90 days to grade the tests, arrange the debating schedules and inform the candidates. After that, the hopefuls will have over three months to think about their positions, and the media people will have that time to prepare for the interruption of their regular programming.
The electorate does not become involved until the first series of debates in July. The people in some states might not have any debates, while in other states there could be several hours, depending on how many residents pass the PLT. After the state champions have been selected, there will be a pause of about thirty days. During this time the media will be bringing people information about the fifty state champions. The candidates will be interviewed in print and on the air. Pundits will be speculating about who has the best chances of victory in the regional contest.
After Independence Day, every four years, the presidential election will be "in the air." The TV debates and the media will keep the issues alive. Because there will be so many viewpoints to discuss and such a variety of new ideas spewing forth, the new election game will truly be an education to the electorate.
There will not be time to learn about all fifty candidates before the Regional Run-Offs begin. Just to learn about the background and views of the dozen or so candidates in one's own region will be an education. Still, people will hunger to know what's being talked about in the other regions.
After the regional debates, the electorate will be able to focus in on the details of each candidate's views. The press will have time to pick apart each of the four contenders. The September break will give people time to think over and integrate what they have learned.
A wiser and well informed electorate will view the National Primary Debates in October. Central issues and questions will have emerged during the long break. Three quarters of the country will be seeing three of the candidates in action for the first time. In the new election game people will rarely complain about seeing the same old faces on TV every night. In each series of debates there will be new faces with new opinions for the viewers to consider.
After the fourth and fifth round of debates the people and the contestants will have a month for reflection. There will not be any droning on of the same old superficial slogans that the candidates in the two-party system were so addicted to. People will have time to think. Candidates will always be facing new opponents and new challenges, so they will have to stay on their toes.
When the National Nominating Debates come around in November, the public will be on the edge of their seats, waiting to see how the challengers do against the incumbent president and vice-president. When this round of voting is over, the people will surely give thanks for the leadership they have and for the election process that enabled them to select such candidates.
December will almost be anticlimactic. The two best people will already have been selected. But the vote will be necessary to decide who will be president and who will be vice-president. After the decision is made, America will be full of people glowing with a sense of accomplishment. Not only were the offices filled, but the people filled them, and an education was acquired in doing so. The pride that people will feel will make their investment of time well worth it.
And what about the time? That would vary depending on how many hopefuls qualified. For example, in states where only four hopefuls qualified, the state champion could be selected in only three hours of debate for the entire month. The amount of time required to watch the debates and vote in states where the unlikely number of ten hopefuls qualified, would be eight hours.
Of course, if someone tries to watch political debates on TV for eight hours straight, their eyes would pop out of their heads! But that's not how the game is played. The debates are spread-out. A series of debates with ten contestants would only require three evenings; two hours for the first two nights, and one hour on the third. Then there is a four day respite before the second round of only three hours of debate spread out over two evenings. After that, a one-hour debate in the third week determines the state champion. Is that too demanding? (See Table E)
The typical American watches four to six hours, sometimes eight hours of TV per day. At six hours per day, that's 180 hours per month. In July when all, or most, of the states will be at work screening state candidates, the process could be finished at the utmost in eight hours, and probably less, of debates. That's less than one twentieth of the typical person's TV time for a month. Then in August, during the Regional Run-Offs, total TV time for the month would be, at most, fourteen hours -- a mere one thirteenth of regular TV time! This is the greatest sacrifice anyone will be asked to make, and then only once every four years.
True, somebody's favorite program will be preempted so that the voters of our nation can screen the candidates and elect their president. But the networks can re-schedule these shows so that everyone can watch the debates and their favorite programs too. In return for this small sacrifice, each citizen will get the good feelings of being a real power in the presidential election process. Plus, the country will get a president who truly represents the people. Isn't that a bargain?
The challenge of the new election game is not that people will be asked to watch a lot of extra TV, but that people will be asked to watch a few hours of different programming. Is that too much to give up for democracy? Hopefully, the reader will agree that the new election game will not crucify the electorate on an audiovisual cross.
While involving the people more, the new election game will actually shorten the time in which the presidential election process is conducted. Under the current two-party contributor-centered system, the candidate must start fundraising two years before the election. Press speculation and candidate "trial balloons" also start appearing at least two years before the election. Election year primaries begin in February and run through June. The Big Show dominates the national news for five months; however, only two-thirds of the states actually have primaries for the people to participate in. The rest are mere by-standers.
The two conventions are usually held in July and August. Of course, the public has no involvement in these, except as passive spectators watching TV highlights. In September the general election campaign begins in full force. The public is bombarded with mass manipulation tricks, but have no power. There are some "debates," but they are not real. This circus drags on until the November vote. Here is the one time where all the people have their first chance in selecting their president -- nearly two years after the process had begun! Unfortunately, even this vote is NOT OFFICIAL. The official vote comes in December when the various electors meet and vote as the electoral college.
In the new election game every state is totally involved from the very first debate. The debates can be real, allowing spontaneous confrontations between the candidates. The public votes after each debate. Their votes are not symbolic, as they are now in November, but determinative. And instead of one symbolic vote, the electorate will have several meaningful votes until they make the final choice. Since all of these votes will be by modem or phone, the total time spent casting these several votes will be less than the time consumed by driving to the polls, parking, waiting in line, and casting one symbolic gesture in November.
The new election game completely eliminates the wasteful, exhausting, degrading, and often boring primary and general election campaign activities. It sets up five rounds of debates which start in July, break in September, and finish in the first week of December. Thus, not only is the time for public involvement reduced from nearly 12 months down to five, but because the people will be exercising real power, it will all be quality time.
The candidates will not have to crawl around begging for money, because participation in the debates will not cost them a penny. No more hopefuls with sore knees and a pile of political debts! They can spend more time with their families and at their careers. And in most cases the "lame duck" period of the incumbent will be reduced to a few weeks.
