A Radical Way To Improve Our Elections

Often we heard about the problems with voting in this country.  We hear that too much money is spent on elections and that the electorate is too ignorant of the issues.  We see that most people only vote in presidential elections and do not vote in local elections or "mid term" elections.

What if we had a radical new way of voting?

What if we could get people to vote in their local elections?

What if we got the voters to care about their local issues?

What if we had a system that did not require millions of dollars to win campaigns?

What if we remembered federalism and gave more power to the states?

Here's a radical plan to do all of that:

1. "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote." -U.S. Constitution

2.  "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President."  -U.S. Constitution

Do you see where we went wrong?

17th Amendment:

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

We went from voting for our state representatives who were themselves responsible for electing our states' senators to a system where we vote directly for our senators.

We went from being a republic to a more democratic republic.

Had we maintained only an indirect vote for senators and more clearly defined the line between voting for presidential electors and voting for the president directly, we would need to spend more time, and money, in our local races in order to elect our senators and president. Governor's races would be the only statewide elections.  And much political spending would be done at the local rather than statewide and national level.

I say: repeal the 17th amendment.