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I read somewhere that mean and ugly political ads work because they make people angry enough to get out and vote. I believe that there are other things that can be done to brings folks out to the polls.
Now that the elections are over, I’d like to make a few suggestions on how to make future voting easier, better and more convenient for voters everywhere.
For starters, I think all polling places should offer refreshments. I almost passed out when my blood sugar crashed while waiting in a long line to vote. It would have been nice if someone had walked around with a tray of hors d’oeuvres and bottled water from time to time.
A large outdoor television screen similar to the ones
on buildings in Times Square would make the
wait time to vote much easier for those standing in long lines. Perhaps they could show sporting events to help pass the time – especially football, since those games seem to last for eight hours.
Seating would be a wonderful addition at polling places. I believe if there was seating available for the voters, perhaps it wouldn’t be as hard to get folks out to cast their vote for their presidential preference.
I saw a sign that stated it was illegal to take a photo of a ballot while at a polling place. A friend of mine
got in a lot of trouble after snapping a selfie while in his voting cubicle. He didn’t take a photo of his own ballot, but accidentally captured the ballot of the person behind him in the next cubical who was also voting.
Perhaps cutting a first-time offender like my friend some slack would be nice. He not only had to pay huge fines but is now a registered voter photo/text offender.
Baby-sitters on site would also be nice, as while I was waiting to vote, a young kid was going from person to person hitting each one’s leg with a stick like he was running it over a fence while walking by. If baby-sitters aren’t an option, then a bounce house would work to keep kids occupied.
I’d like to see carpooling since we’re all doing the same thing. They could organize the rides by voting areas. Since nobody can talk about politics without death-ray eyes and arguments ensuing, everyone would just need to keep quiet and look forward on the trip – but at least it will save voters money in gas.
They could also offer door prizes and giveaways, and perhaps every 100th person in line would be presented with a nice gift. After all, we’re all making an effort to get out and vote, so it would be nice to be compensated since, either way, half of the population is going to be disappointed when all the tally marks are added up.
Finally, portable voting boxes may do well in helping to get more voters out. Putting them up at other places like grocery stores, farmers markets, doctors offices and the casino
would go a long way, as these places are more
convenient and frequently visited by folks. This way, people wouldn’t have to travel to the traditional polling locations for a single errand.
Every little bit will go a long way toward helping folks get out and vote in future elections.
I also believe soft music playing at polling locations would be calming. Songs like “Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright” and “Don’t Worry Be Happy” on a loop would be nice.
Anngee Quinones-Belian of Murphy is a staff correspondent for the Cherokee Scout. Her humor column runs every other week. Email her at anngeeq@gmail.com.