Isn't It Time We Designed An Election for the 21st Century?

The civic ritual of voting in America is an act of nostalgia. The act of 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 (not to mention when and where), 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?

Future Tense is a partnership of Arizona State University, New America, and Slate.

Panelists included Matt Adams, Program Director, IDEO; Jamelle Bouie, Chief Political Correspondent, Slate; Jeremy Epstein, Senior Computer Scientist, SRI International; Dahlia Lithwick, Journalist, Slate; and, Lawrence Norden, Deputy Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice. Moderated by Mark Schmitt, Director of Studies, New America; Director, Political Reform Program, New America.