|
Flagg
Unfurled
Masters of Our Fate
By Steven Flagg
Guest Column
Americans
year by year have abrogated their responsibility to control
and mange the election process. The result of this neglect
is two tribes that pander to their base and assure that we
have leaders unable to find solutions in the best interests
of all Americans. This political reality has brought wedge
issues that drive us apart and deferred action on major
problems that daily become more costly and intractable to
solve.
We are
emotionally and intellectually whipsawed between the views
expressed by the extreme right and left of the political
spectrum. Those of us in the middle - and can see bipartisan
compromise as the path forward - stand powerless given the
choices presented by partisan primaries. The voices of
moderation and compromise are lost in the constant vitriolic
bickering between two entrenched tribes.
Still,
three major reforms would give everyone a voice while
moderating the extreme ideas and voices that hold us hostage
and make compromises few and far between
First,
county boards of elections which manage the election process
should be non-partisan. Current Ohio statutes require a
board of elections comprised of two Democrats and two
Republicans. Interestingly, a January 2018 Gallup poll had
42 percent of Americans identifying themselves as
independents as compared to Democrats at 29 percent and
Republicans at 27 percent. As a member of the largest voting
block, I along with many other Ohioans, will never be chosen
to serve on a local board of elections. We have no voice in
how elections are managed and decisions and problems
resolved.
Second,
determination of district maps for both state and federal
offices should be the province of an independent impartial
commission. The commission would draw district maps based
upon criteria and rules as passed by a referendum of the
state's voters. It's patently obvious that we need
competitive elections to promote involvement of all voters
regardless of party affiliation and assure we have a
marketplace of ideas, not just struggles between tribal
ideologies.
While the
referendum on the Ohio ballot in May 2018 establishes
minority party participation and some commonsense rules in
the district drawing process, it still doesn't go far enough
to assure that districts are fair and competitive. The
commission proposed is bipartisan, but still leaves too much
power in the hands of the majority party. It's a step
forward - and while it shouldn't be the end of change in the
process - it should be supported.
Finally,
primaries to determine who will stand before the voters in a
general or special election should be non-partisan. Anyone
should be able to run in a primary regardless of party
affiliation with every voter allowed to participate, not
just Democrats and Republicans. The top two candidates would
then square off in the general election. The extreme choices
we now face in almost every election – and that many of us
find unacceptable - would be significantly abated.
Those of
us that see compromise as an essential tool in solving the
challenges before us would once again see our voices
included in the discussion. No one should have to join a
tribe to have influence in both the election process and the
election of those that run in a general election.
We can
only blame ourselves for the current political mess that
paralyzes and polarizes us. Still, we hold the solutions.
The election process is our responsibility to control and
manage, not political parties that divide rather than unite.
Isn't it
time Americans become masters of their fate and not merely
pawns in tribal warfare?
|
