Isn’t It Time We Designed an Election for the 21st Century?
The civic ritual of voting in America is an act of nostalgia. Casting a ballot, unlike most things in our society, doesn’t ever seem to change. It’s the same as it was when you accompanied your parents to vote, or when they accompanied their parents. This deference to tradition would be worth celebrating if our elections weren’t riddled with hanging chads, imperfect counts, long lines, and confusion over who’s registered to vote, and if our voter experience didn’t compare so poorly to other, less important 21st-century customer experiences. Countries like Canada, Brazil, and Germany use electronic voting that offers accurate and instantaneous results. Why not the United States? Why not design an election for the 21st Century?
On Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m., Future Tense—a partnership of Arizona State University, New America, and Slate—will host a happy hour and brainstorm conversation in Washington, D.C., on how to create a better, more efficient, and more just election system.* Speakers will include Slate’s Jamelle Bouie and Dahlia Lithwick. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website.
Participants:
Matt Adams
Program director, IDEO
Jamelle Bouie
Chief political correspondent, Slate
Jeremy Epstein
Senior Computer Scientist, SRI International
Dahlia Lithwick
Senior editor, Slate
Lawrence Norden
Deputy director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice
Moderator:
Mark Schmitt
Director of studies, New America
Director, Political Reform Program, New America
Correction, Sept. 23, 2016: This post originally misstated the date of the event. It is Oct. 5, not Nov. 5.
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.