Samir Shukla
By Samir Shukla
Elections were held nationally on November 7, 2023. The turnout in most parts of the country was sparse on this off-year election, as is the case on such years. Citizens participating via voting is essential for any country that holds fair elections. Candidates and political parties work hard to get their supporters to get out and vote. It’s an uphill battle.
Let’s face it, most people want to participate and vote in every election but lead busy lives and things happen and voting lands way down their do lists. This is especially true for off-year elections where the interest and the ballots are sparse, making voter participation almost pathetic.
Here is a simple idea for more participation and turnout while increasing efficiency and saving states money while conducting elections. Why not have all the elections in the country tagged to the presidential and Congressional election cycles? This means holding elections only in even numbered years. No election held during odd numbered years, other than if a special election is needed due to the death or resignation of an office holder in that state. Forget about off year elections. They have a very low turnout and just create extra costs for the state to run those elections.
Charlotte is a good example. The largest city in North Carolina holds its mayoral and municipal elections in off years, like in November 2023, and every two years, so the next one will be in 2025. It will be another off-year election. If these are instead aligned with congressional and presidential elections, the participation by voters would be much higher.
Moving on, the fight for the Republican presidential nomination churns. The next GOP debate is scheduled on December 6, 2023. There will be fewer candidates, probably four, at this debate and the scrapping will likely get nastier. There may be one more debate, if the Republican National Committee deems it important, but this debate will be crucial for one of the candidates to further elbow their way closer to Trump so they can take him on a stronger foundation when the primaries and caucuses begin in January. Time is tight. Nothing is written in stone, though. Trump is acting like he has the nomination in the bag, but the process will tell the final tale.
Samir Shukla is the Editor of Saathee Magazine
Contact: samir@saathee.com
Twitter: @ShuklaWrites
Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com
