Last month’s primary election in Lynn had a pitiful voter turnout of 6 percent.
The number of voters is consistently low in local elections and doesn’t fare much better statewide. Even the contentious presidential election in 2016 between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton drew just 55 percent of eligible voters nationally, considered one of the lowest turnouts in two decades.
What gives? Maybe it’s time to make voting easier.
One sweeping change that immediately comes to mind is a switch to online voting. That would expedite the process for potential voters and for those keeping track of results.
Imagine entering a digital ID to vote online while enjoying your morning coffee, or casting a vote on your lunch hour.
That would increase access for those who commute long distances to work or have multiple jobs and can’t make it to the polls before 8 p.m.
It could also restore trust in citizens by reducing voter suppression, a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting; eliminate the possibility of voting booths being compromised; polling locations closed in minority neighborhoods; It would eliminate the problem of understaffed locations so people wouldn’t have to wait in line for hours to vote.
There would be less chance of human error with votes counted electronically instead of by poll workers.
Such a system would have to be designed so voters could not cast a ballot multiple times and it must be secure from hackers.
Clearly, the numbers call for a change.
Viewers can vote online instantly for their favorite reality competition singers, and baseball fans can vote for their favorite All-Stars in the same way. Yet that option is unavailable for a nation-shaping presidential election.
Voting online is simpler, and more interactive, especially for young people.
Other changes should also be considered.
If the voting system remains the same, perhaps Election Day should be federal holiday to give people more of an opportunity to get to the polls.
Or election day could be moved to Saturday for the same reason.
Same day voter-registration should be considered. Some people may not realize they’re no longer registered until election day.
It could simply be a matter of providing more education to make people more aware of how to register and where they should vote.
A study should be done to analyze why people don’t vote. But by being proactive and making the process easier, that could go a long way toward combating whatever those reasons are and increasing voter turnout.
