USA political system needs changes

[palou]

Jon-Erich said:

sethnintendo said:

Two party system -  This needs to be changed to a multiparty system.  Both major parties suck.  There needs to be more parties to choose from and your vote needs to count.  Proportional representation is far superior to winner takes all.  I would vote if winner takes all was axed.  I want my vote to count for a third party.

Electoral college - This is the worst idea to keep alive in the 21st century.  Fuck the electoral college.  Gore would have defeated Bush if it was up to the popular vote.  Now we have turmoil in Iraq for decades thanks to Bush being allowed President.  They say your vote counts...  What if you voted for the other guy than your state elects?  You vote doesn't count.

Citizens United - The biggest pile of shit to ever get approved from the Supreme Court.  Money talks.

Election Day - Needs to be a national holiday.

2Pac - Changes

1. While I agree the two party system sucks, the voters are to blame for this. Every election, I see third party candidates on the ballet. Most people don't bother to even take the time to figure out who these people are.

2. While I don't entirely agree with the Electoral College, it must be said that there are only two times in American history when the Presidential candidate with the popular vote lost. So the Eletoral College has had very little impact on who wins these elections. Also, even if Gore had become President, 9/11, the War on Terror, and the Great Recession still would have happened.

3. I do agree that Citizens United is bullshit.

4. I believe Election day IS a national holiday. It's held around the same time and it's usually marked on most callendars.

 

1. Problem is, both major parties rely on a fear-based campaign, talking mostly about how bad the others are. In the current system (non-transferable vote, first past th post gets 100% of the representation) a third party candidate hurts the cause of the party with whom they are ideologically closest to, draining votes.

 

I mean, let's say Sanders goes independant, and gets a certain popularity.

(I am not, by the way, stating an opinion on the parties themselves - this is prely for demonstration.)

In a state X, currently, democrats have 55 %, republicans 42%, with 3 % other.

Let's say, Sanders convinces 22% of the population.

For obvious reasons, no one that was previously voting republican is amongst these 20%, Sanders thus takes off 1% (of total) from other independants, and 21% off of democrats.

The results are the following:

Sanders: 22 Democrats: 34 Republicans :42 Ind.: 2

-In the american system, republicans would take the seat. (100 percent of the voting right of this unit.) This is ridiculous, as the majority of the population of the unit would evidently prefer a demcrat candidat.

-In a single transferable vote, the second choice of the voter is taken in account, when your candidate is not one of the leading candidates. Thus, Democrats  get the 22 percent from sanders, and take the seat.

-In germany, (my prefered voting system), the voting power of each party is transfered directly to congress, proportionally. (note: local representation still exists, simpling filling in half of the seats in congress, the other half being filled in to obtain the true voted proportions, candidates chosen by the party). IF, at a national level, proportions would be the same, Democrats would be forming a coalition government with either republicans or Sanders. This assures that the population is maximally represented.

 

People say that coalition governments bring conflict, and thus weaken the government. Nonetheless, the american government is alot, alot less productif than its counterparts. The two major parties are being forcefully held together, knowing that a split would let the others win by default in the current systems, creating just as much dispute if nto more as would have been found in a coalition. (example: republican tea-party and the rest would probably be 2 seperate units in the german voting system, by now. This is better, as the republican voter could choose if they would want more of the former or the later.)