PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CHAOS By T.S. khanna, November 14, 2020.

 

FOUNDATION FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT,

 

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CHAOS

By T.S. Khanna, November 14, 2020.

Foundation for Better Government.

 

Never before Presidential election has been so intense and chaotic as this year.  More than 150 m votes have been cast; all votes have still not been counted. 

 

Due to Corona pandemic, early mail-in voting was encouraged to avoid public gatherings for in-person voting.  Verification of the legal status of mail-in voters is harder and time consuming.  It also offers open window for fraud.  Cases of fraud have been already instituted in the law courts.  Given the courts efficiency, the election fraud cases may not be resolved by January 20, 2021.

 

Another reason for this chaos is the lack of uniformity in the states laws for conducting federal elections:

·       In Iowa and Ohio, mail-in votes may be processed anytime before the election day;

·       In Michigan and some other states, mail-in votes may be processed only a day before the election day;

·       In Pennsylvania, mail-in votes processing may not start before the election day;

·       Some states accept mail-in votes only on or before the election day, while some others keep receiving them a week or ten days after the election day;

·       Requisites for voter registration vary from state to state.

 

Yet another reason for chaos is the lack of regulations to eliminate lies and fabricated facts from the campaigns and to enforce civility.

 

If elections are the heart of democracy, American democracy is under a heart attack right now.  This is a new challenge to the Election System of overreaching significance in American politics. Traditionally, Americans have always been flexible/adaptable by their hospitality to problem-solving ideas.  There is hope.  Here are some suggestions as a starter:

1.     Adopt laws to maintain truthfulness and civility and decency in election campaigns;

2.     Encourage in-person voting with voter ID;

3.     To accommodate a large number of voters without overcrowding, allow two days for voting with voting facilities open for 48 hours, preferably during the more weather-friendly time of late May (third weekend) instead of November, and with July 4^th as the installation date for the elected President;

4.     Require certification of mail-in voters for legality, address and eligibility by a Notary Public to be included in the mailed-in votes;

5.     Adopt uniform state laws for federal elections;

6.     Establish a non-partisan Federal Election commission with adequate powers and responsibilities to oversee the campaigns and the election process.