President Obama told an audience this week that mandatory voting might not be a bad idea. “It would be transformative if everybody voted — that would counteract money more than anything,” he said Wednesday at a town hall-style event in Cleveland, Ohio.
It’s an interesting idea, even if it’s not likely to happen. If everyone became better informed on the candidates and issues, and then voted, that truly would counteract money “more than anything.” But you can’t make learning or showing an interest mandatory. If people who don’t care nor have a clue “had” to vote, you can bet money would continue to be pumped into misleading ads.
Others have suggested that we should at least make voting easier, but how much easier can it be? We no longer require people to vote on a single day. Those who can’t travel to a polling place can request a ballot by mail. However, some states have removed early voting, and Kansas is on the list of states that have made it more difficult for many people to vote. The laws enacted at the urging of Secretary of State Kris Kobach have discouraged even non-partisan groups such as the League of Women Voters from registering potential voters, and have put thousands of registrations on hold until the individuals can provide proof of their citizenship.
The war on voting needs to end, but even if it doesn’t, people need to meet the challenges, get registered, and vote.