New Voting System Prevents Traitors

We can develop a new way to put our elected officials into office that disregards their party affiliations before the 2010 midterm general election. We'll just work with the US Congress for the time being as a test case, see how it works. We'll plan on a 100% election, meaning every US Representative seat and every US Senate seat will be up for grabs.

Basic citizenship, domicile, etc. requirements remain the same. People wishing to be candidates get processed into the system as they do now-register, pay the fee, and go campaigning. The cutoff date for registering is December 31, 2009. Here's where things are changing.

Starting today, each state creates a computer data center using the best software and hardware and hiring the best programmers and network experts to manage it. This data center is hooked to the Internet, the address is published as a web page, and everyone in the state who is a legally registered voter can access this network. Each voter will have to input a small amount of personal information and then has the opportunity to list all the things the voter deems important for an elected official to consider and take a position on. Voters can do this at home or from public terminals in places like libraries and city halls. Voters have until the end of August to do their input.

Once input is concluded, the computer produces checkoff lists, tailored to the various political subdivisions, with simple statements of the issues and "support" "don't support" options. The checkoff is provided to each candidate and each candidate completes the checkoff, which is then published in the data center web site. Now we all know where each candidate stands. They can have this done by the end of March, 2010.

Now we vote. Still using the same web, from your home machine or from a public terminal. The computer adds the votes and declares the winners. They all take office in January, 2011.

Now it gets more interesting. All those people who just took office will be required to always vote the way they indicated on their checkoffs. If they wish to vote differently, they must first get permission from their voters and they must bear all the costs involved. If elected officials ever vote opposite to the checkoff without permission, they're fired.

When new issues arise, they are subject to public voting. Same computer data centers as before and we tell our officials how to vote. Single issue bills only--no more adding stupid stuff like charitable contributions to the IMF into a military appropriations bill.