Opinion: Much Needed Reforms of our Electoral System

Two months ago, the mid-term election cycle came to an end, finally, although many of us might ask, but is it really over? Political parties are already soliciting voters for donations for the next cycle, the presidential election in 2024.
How can we end the eternal campaign that plagues us? I make the following suggestions for electoral reform:
- Establish a national primary, a single day in the election year when primaries are held in all 50 states as well as territories. One advantage of this reform is that states Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire would no longer exercise undue influence on voting in other states.
- Set the first Tuesday in June for the national primary and, by law, limit campaigning to two months prior to primary election day.
- Limit campaigns to the two months prior to the November election day.
Levick is a public relations firm in Washinvgton, DC, that writes:
“Instead of a slow drip of opposition research to fill a 24/7 news cycle, a shorter election season forces a discussion of policy and emphasizes a candidate’s governing capabilities. Other countries have done this, and they have shown us that a debate on the policies needed to address the major issues the United States faces can be done in mere weeks. Everything else is just noise.
“Instead, our long election cycle turns this most important democratic process into a reality TV show, replete with drama, emotion, and characters the viewing public will tune in for. With 59% of Americans fatigued by this election, a shorter cycle will result in a happier electorate that is motivated to vote and engaged in important policy discussions.”
- Remove wealth from election campaigns by publicly financing all campaigns. A formula would determine the amount allotted to each candidate, including those of small parties with a national presence. Funding might be based on the number of party members or the number of votes received in the previous electoral cycle; a non-partisan national electoral commission could determine which. Providing all candidates a limited amount of free airtime on national TV would drastically reduce the cost of campaigns.
Other needed reforms would require constitutional amendments:
- Extend congressional terms from two to four years, making them always coincide with the presidential election.
- Abolish the Electoral College, making all elections by popular vote, using ranked choice voting to the extent possible.
These proposals may be no more than wishful thinking, and I would be the first to argue that, given the current mood of the country and its tendency to embrace undemocratic extremist ideas, this time may not be the best for contemplating changes to the Constitution. But we can hope that better times will come.
A native of Wicomico County, George Shivers holds a doctorate from the University of Maryland and taught in the Foreign Language Dept. of Washington College for 38 years before retiring in 2007. He is also very interested in the history and culture of the Eastern Shore, African American history in particular.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore




