As this fifth State of the Union approaches, we feel we know our president. Most of the time, he is, in fact, “No Drama Obama.” Tuesday night, let’s hope he sheds that reserve, and gives us some unexpected drama.
During his State of the Union address, President Obama should focus on how we can strengthen our democracy. America needs to modernize registration, provide more early voting opportunities, and restore rights to citizens who have paid their debt to society.
The Voter Empowerment Act, particularly voter registration modernization, would address serious inherent issues within our system that were highlighted in 2012.
President Barack Obama emphasized the need to modernize the U.S. election system in his Inaugural Address. One bill to do just that is set to be introduced Wednesday by the civil rights hero Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.) — who knows a thing or two about how to expand democracy.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s Office took an important step this election to ensure the ballots of legitimate voters were counted. It’s worth highlighting because it didn’t receive any coverage, yet it’s an important example for other states to follow.
Texas's voter registration drive restrictions come under fire tomorrow in a federal appeals court. This entire fight could be avoided if we modernized registration.
America is the world’s leading democracy, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t improvements to be made. By modernizing registration, ending government dysfunction, and combating Citizens United, we can put the people back in charge of our democracy.
Now is the time to fix the system — when the wounds caused by the problems in our voting process are still fresh, and when there isn’t a major election on the horizon.
