The Case for Compulsory Voting

Yes, compulsory voting should be part of the equation. Shorter election cycles; overturning or blocking Citizens United by new laws; redefining "people" as creatures who are produced by sex rather than lawyers in Delaware; adding "None of the Above" to ballots; permitting ALL candidates who jump through the hoops to get on the ballot to participate in debates; challenging the most egregiously biased media; imposing a "reflection period" at the end of the election cycle so that voters can take time to think about their choice; prohibiting corporate monies to candidates; requiring all political donations of ANY kind to be publicly registered; putting a $1000 limit on political donations by a single person -- all these will help. But ultimately when two parties have a stranglehold over the national discourse, and no new ideas are permitted to intrude, this is the main cause of political apathy. And, sadly, the one thing which would do the most to reinvigorate democracy -- a parliamentary system which can dissolve a dysfunctional government in a heartbeat -- is constitutionally unlikely. The Founding Fathers really screwed things up.