Jason Grill: Five & a Half Steps to Fix American Politics

1.  Fix the political redistricting system once and for all – States across this nation are currently going through the process of redrawing State Representative and State Senate lines. In the end members from both parties and appointed party loyalists will not be able to agree on a map and the court system will be prompted to step in. This process takes place every ten years and is truly outdated and way too political. Why not save time and take the human element out of the process? In an age where people do almost everything electronically why are nonpartisan computers not setting these lines? Start the new process with a checkerboard pattern covering the whole state. Then the computer will adjust the squares based on population so every Representative and Senator represents the same amount of people. A grid with large and small squares that has nothing to do with which neighborhood has nicer houses, who votes the most, where a golf course is located, or what school district is where will decide rational districts once and for all. It is an absolute joke and truly unfair to the citizens of this nation for political gerrymandering to continue to go on in 2011. How great would you feel at the start of an election cycle if whether you would have a Republican, Democrat, or Independent elected official was not in a sense predetermined? Leave this up to computers and not partisan individuals who are protecting themselves and their party when drawing geographically ridiculous political district lines. Isn’t this about fair democratic representation? Instead of backroom bickering and fighting over half of a small suburban neighborhood or which urban corridor is more important, we should be asking is there an app for that!

2. Blanket primaries  – Shouldn’t the goal of any election to be to elect the best candidate regardless of political party or persuasion? Some states have already implemented top-two, non-partisan blanket primaries with success. The city of Kansas City, Missouri currently does this with its Mayoral election. Just last winter this system resulted in the two most qualified candidates for the job reaching the general election. Basically, this election method puts all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, on the same ballot in the primary. The top two voters then face off in a general election to be held usually in the next one to three months after the primary election. I can’t count the number of times Republicans came up to me and said they were sorry they couldn’t vote for me because I wasn’t on their primary ballot. This system would also stop candidates from running so far to the right or left to win the votes of party primary voters. We all know voter turnout is low in primaries. Most Americans are sick of voting for extreme candidate 1 or extreme candidate 2 in general elections. They want common sense solutions and are tired of partisan rhetoric. It doesn’t have to be a nonpartisan election; candidates can voice their party affiliation, but why not just have the two best candidates face off in the general election based on the issues of the day and ideas. Blanket primaries will solve many of our general election malaise.

3. Get rid of term limits – Many states and voters have implemented term limits for elected officials such as legislators. In Missouri, State Representatives can serve four two-year terms and State Senators can serve two four-year terms. The reasoning, legislators become fat and happy, become too close to lobbyists, and run out of creative ideas and motivation. The problem is that just the opposite has happened. Legislators are running for reelection before they even find the bathroom in the capitol, they are forced to think about their next elected position they will run for up the ladder, lobbyists begin to have more influence on the process because there are so many new people every two years, and legislators are so wet behind the ears they have no idea how to effectively legislate. Would you tell your family doctor or specialist that you could only see them for a limited amount of time even though they are great at what they do? Would you tell an amazing teacher that after 8 years they could no longer teach in your community? Would you tell a successful small business owner, sorry buddy I have to shut down your incredible entrepreneurial endeavor? Lastly, would you tell a world-class athlete that they could no longer dominate a sport and bring a smile to a fan’s face because they can only play for awhile? I want the best people running and holding political office. For some reason I think you would agree. Elections are held every few years where people can elect or vote individuals out of office. We saw a Republican “Tea Party” tidal wave in 2010 where many incumbents were voted out of office. The pendulum could and probably will swing back and many of these same individuals will be put back into elected office in 2012, 2014, or sometime down the road. This is the great thing about the process; we don’t need arbitrary numbers of years to police the system. I want the best people running my community, my state, and my country. If someone is doing a good job or excelling at their job let them face the voters not time.

4. Reduce the number of elected officials – In the state of Missouri there are 163 members in the House of Representatives. In the United States Congress there are 435 members in the House of Representatives. See a problem here? Too many state legislatures around this land have too many elected officials for their size. How can you accomplish anything of real substance and come to an agreement to move a state forward if you have so many different personalities and irons in the fire. Truthfully, it is nearly impossible. Lets say we reduce the size of a legislature in half.  So in Missouri you would be taking the House of Representatives down to 81 or 83 members for voting purposes. The current salary of a member of the Missouri House of Representatives is around $36,000. On one hand, you could cut spending immensely in your state during a time of economic hardship. Think of all supplies, expenses, and salaries that would be cut. As we all know spending cuts and balancing budgets are very important to many Americans right now. On the other hand, you could raise salaries for the elected official positions left. This would lead to more qualified people running for office, more of a primary focus on the job, and more individuals with families or higher expenses putting their name on the ballot. Running and holding elected office shouldn’t just be a privilege for the rich, those who are retired, or those who are younger without much debt or financial obligations. Currently this is the case too many times with the current salaries on the state level. Wherever you fall on this debate, reducing the number of elected officials would lead to more substantial legislation getting passed and more compromise on key issues, a cut in taxpayer costs, or a more qualified and broad spectrum of candidates running for office. All of these are great outcomes for the future of our country.

5. Change the Filibuster Rule – Fix the filibuster problem in the United States Congress by compelling filibusterers to be on the Senate floor during and for the entire filibuster. No more threats or protests of filibusters killing good legislation. If you want to obstruct a bill, the Senator who opposes the legislation should be compelled to do it on the floor and not in the hallways of the capitol or at the microphone in the pressroom. Many states, including Missouri, require in person filibusters on the Senate floor. This is a proactive step. However, even with these rules on the state level, I have seen good legislation die because of the ego and rigidness of one Senator. They thirst for the attention and political theater a filibuster might bring over the common good of the people. We have to fix this system because too many great pieces of legislation are dying because of the ideology of one individual.

5 and 1/a. One more small, but very important thing… – All floor activity during sessions of a legislative body should be broadcast live on television or online. Too many states aren’t doing this and it needs to be done. Missouri is one of them. Citizens need more access to see what is going on at the state and local level.