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From hours-long lines and limited polling locations to confusing and discriminatory registration policies, why is it so hard to vote in the US? Voting rights expert Amber McReynolds offers a proven alternative: a new process, already happening in parts of the country, that could bring accountability, transparency and equity to the outdated and sputtering system that American democracy currently relies on.
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Julia Nielsen
April 14, 2021 at 4:24 pm
It’s not that difficult to obtain an ID. You have to have one to get a license, a job, a house, a car, insurance, etc. so why not to vote in elections? The left wants to make it easy to cheat, that’s why. Allowing non-citizens to vote is their agenda so they keep their power. Follow the money. It literally is about $15 to get a state ID.
QuietCastle
April 14, 2021 at 4:33 pm
But how do you ensure “One Citizen, One Vote”? You need voter ID, security, and transparency.
Sasan Heidari
April 14, 2021 at 4:43 pm
We need voter ID
Anthony
April 14, 2021 at 4:50 pm
None of this means squat unless we first secure our elections. Voter ID, paper ballots, and extremely limited, and vetted mail-in voting first.
Jay Wolfe
April 14, 2021 at 4:59 pm
This is what TED talks have come to, now? Really!?
Inventive Harvest
April 14, 2021 at 5:15 pm
Does anyone really believe that certain races are too dumb to be able to get an ID? Not requiring an ID is popular with democrats because they know they need to cheat to win.
Opinions Are Like
April 14, 2021 at 5:17 pm
You should focus on making it harder for voter fraud, not easier
Owdeez Strauz
April 14, 2021 at 5:36 pm
When you try that, they just steal the election.
Bobby Brooks
April 14, 2021 at 5:56 pm
Such a system is the total 100 percent end of the present occupation of the GIVEFBNMNT by cabal criminals… Certainly every sitting political selected joke need to be removed, every appointmentie removed, all who are Masons denied position and all Corporation executives banned from any position … Anything less is BUKLDHIT
Bobby Brooks
April 15, 2021 at 12:12 am
@TED.struck a nerve huh…. It would be nice to live without always looking over your shoulder and waiting for the next shoe to drop wouldn’t it….
Overonator
April 14, 2021 at 6:19 pm
How do you reform voting when there is a 2 party system and sizeable number of politicians are convinced that high voter turn out is bad for them and their party’s election chances so they put in more hoops and barriers to discourage voting.
X Æ A-12
April 14, 2021 at 6:45 pm
Hilarious! Voting is hard, so Georgia finally does something about it, and brainwashed socialist parrot back “racist, racist, water, water !” Lols!
AKAHEIZER
April 14, 2021 at 6:58 pm
There should not be any voter suppression, everything should be focused on making it easy to vote.
Vesa Wuoristo
April 14, 2021 at 7:29 pm
These voting difficulties are purposely there to limit voting.
EighteenXVIII
April 14, 2021 at 7:31 pm
If you don’t believe in the current political system, not voting also sends a message.
S Stagray
April 14, 2021 at 7:48 pm
A low turnout of informed voters is much better than a high turnout of uninformed voters. Making it easy to vote just to get the numbers up is the Pollyanna approach to thinking we will get better representation because a lot of people voted. Many things stop people from voting, making it easy to vote is a very small part of the problem.
Ben Bigelow
April 14, 2021 at 8:04 pm
In Australia voting is compulsory. Voting is easy and representation is much better.
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April 14, 2021 at 7:49 pm
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Spiritual Cat Lover
April 14, 2021 at 7:55 pm
I hope they actually do something about the Voting process.. It’s Horrible..! It’s sad that they give us a choice of 2 people but if you choose one,. You are attacked & treated differently.. Why give us a choice then……
Gabriel
April 14, 2021 at 8:34 pm
no winner-takes-it-all system would also be a good start
Brea Regans
April 14, 2021 at 9:27 pm
Jesus loves you; he died on the cross for you. The gospel is about God’s GRACE and eternal life. Salvation is a free gift, there are no strings attached. Your sins are purged by the blood of Jesus once you believe.
Kongolox
April 14, 2021 at 9:28 pm
nothing new in this video.. wasted time.
bottom line.. ppl vote for them, ppl deserve whatever comes.
Tran Nguyen
April 14, 2021 at 10:45 pm
I totally agree with her perspective but how we can make the idiot GOP politicians change their mind ?
Mikael Dufour
April 14, 2021 at 11:19 pm
Thank you.
The human race.
Delta Echo Echo
April 14, 2021 at 11:31 pm
Donald Trump would not like this video.
TED.
April 14, 2021 at 11:46 pm
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TED.
April 14, 2021 at 11:49 pm
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Kiyohshi
April 15, 2021 at 1:17 am
Most eligible voters want a third party, also ranked choice voting would be great.
Katie Strickland
April 15, 2021 at 1:22 am
This begins with an assumed fact that voting is difficult/restrictive, yet no supporting arguements are offered. Then the subject is conflated with creating a central voting system and ignoring the constitution and its limits on our federal government. We are a group of sovereign states that are united by choice, not by force. This is proof enough that this arguement is started from a false position, and therefore cannot be supported. Not to mention that this entire position makes the assumption that the average voter isn’t intelligent enough to figure out how to cast their own ballot. How completely demeaning!This is all lies and propaganda. Shame on you TED!
X Æ A-12
April 15, 2021 at 4:46 am
Hilarious! Voting is hard, so Georgia finally does something about it, and brainwashed socialist parrot back “racist, racist, water, water !” Lols! If you want to respond, you must show me what line in Georgia bill is racist, if you can’t just be quiet.
Alex Watson
April 15, 2021 at 5:42 am
You wait seven hours to vote, but everyone one forgets lines at the dmv.
RemusKingOfRome5
April 15, 2021 at 5:44 am
Online voting is THE answer, but criminal politicians PROVE they are criminals by blocking modernization of voting. Linking a Voter and a vote will make it easier to track votes and reduce fraud.
Alex Watson
April 15, 2021 at 5:47 am
Voting isn’t supposed to be “accessible”, if voting is too accessible people are more likely to make uninformed decisions.
The Geek Teacher
April 15, 2021 at 6:39 am
Not true! Voting in Australia is mandatory and made highly accessible, though it’s not perfect, and it works.
Nathan Banks
April 15, 2021 at 5:50 am
Isn’t the primary problem that there’s only two choices? It’s also a simple fix–most countries are better that way. The complicated part is getting everyone to agree to a better system…still, New Zealand managed to do it.
BG K
April 15, 2021 at 5:56 am
So in your country, even dogs can vote! You did a good job. Congratulation!
NeonsStyle
April 15, 2021 at 6:48 am
If they did that, how could the Conservatives turn the Democracies into Authoritarian regimes? That’s what they’ve been doing now for 20 years, very slow step by step. In the US, their obsession with Trump, even though he betrayed his oath multiple times, attempted an armed insurrection, they still consider him the leader of the party, and still openly support his attempt for a 2nd shot at the Presidency in 2024. Politicians are not for the people, they are for their party, and for power! Politicians today are all oath breakers!
Isaac Perkins
April 15, 2021 at 7:53 am
The world is full of democracies that don’t have issues on voting day.
joe Vasquez
April 15, 2021 at 8:38 pm
We are a republic not a democracy
Canned Frootloops
April 17, 2021 at 6:29 pm
@joe Vasquez WOW. BIG BRAIN.
Lc Jackson
April 15, 2021 at 11:19 am
I love it
Chris
April 15, 2021 at 12:13 pm
finally a good Ted video again. But why stop there. Much more efficient to do electronically. Most mobile phones have fingerprint login.
Michael Berthelsen
April 15, 2021 at 2:58 pm
Electronics can be hacked far more easily, though, and can be done remotely, from abroad if desired. A physical ballot in the mail system is far harder to manipulate at scale.
Chris
April 15, 2021 at 4:43 pm
@Michael Berthelsen : old hysterics. we have remotely guided missiles. a far more dangerous affair if hacked. it can be done and it will save heaps of money and time on the voting system side, and make voting quick and easy and harder to interfere with mail ballots by post master general or having to travel to post mail in remote areas. snail mail is so ancient and inefficient.
Kyle Pittman
April 15, 2021 at 7:30 pm
@Chris The difference between remotely guided missiles and electronic voting is who has access to them. As someone who personally knows people who work with such things in the military, it requires extensive background checks and operational security to control missiles. An electronic voting system would inherently require very little operational security as the average joe would need access and we cannot expect every single american to be tech savvy and safe enough with their information to not allow hacking and intervention form bad actors. Identity theft is a huge issue, and if people cannot secure their own bank accounts, how can we be sure they can secure their voting information.
Jack Burton
April 15, 2021 at 12:26 pm
Shout out to America who soon won’t require any id to vote, thanks for letting the rest of the world vote as well!!!
gavinwince
April 15, 2021 at 2:29 pm
Interesting, Colorado has some of the most provable election fraud in the US. I left the state partially because of their easily rigged election process. This promotes a way to ensure elections can be rigged “securely” as to had any loose ends that may evidence election manipulation
Ashish George Mathew
April 15, 2021 at 3:03 pm
Good evaluation
JP Travis
April 15, 2021 at 3:04 pm
This lady is deluded.
Brian Hofland
April 15, 2021 at 3:45 pm
Cheesy
Jesse Pacheco
April 15, 2021 at 4:07 pm
Decentralization. State autonomy. Local local local. The federal government need not more power but less.
Jesse Pacheco
April 15, 2021 at 4:13 pm
You paint a pretty picture but the nuts and bolts are like steroids for corruption.
Get a pretty girl with a soft voice to sell your snake oil
Jesse Pacheco
April 15, 2021 at 4:14 pm
Zero details all fluff. Lying fool
S Jackson
April 15, 2021 at 4:31 pm
If you are not able to vote, you are not being represented.
Our government does not derive its powers from the consent of the governed
We live in an oligarchy. People need to realize we always have.
Joe Biden has the record for most votes ever cast for a U.S. presidential candidate. 81,284,000 votes.
The U.S. population was 329,906,170 when votes were cast.
24% of the population voted for our current president. That’s nowhere near a majority.
People say they don’t want direct democracy because they don’t want majority rule. That’s never been a real threat.
Even as the number of people who actually vote gets higher, the majority has never chosen the winner.
Even if we call ourselves a representative democracy, we’ve never been a democracy.
Our Republic is a plutocracy
The Richest
April 16, 2021 at 11:27 am
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Bradley Kazuk
April 15, 2021 at 4:39 pm
Yes, each state has different voting laws, because the constitution delegates that power to the individual states. We are 1 union, of 50 individual countries.
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April 15, 2021 at 5:00 pm
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Scarletpooky
April 15, 2021 at 5:51 pm
As a Brit is baffle me why America has such long queues to vote.
The only times I’ve had to queue is when there’s only about 6 people, that’s it. That’s because we have so many places to go to. No one has to worry about time off from work because it’s quick enough to vote on the way to work, during lunch, or in the evening. I’ve never heard of anyone having to take a day off work to vote.
Everyone is automatically on the electoral register and in plenty of time before voting day each household is sent a letter to check, and update if needed, eligible voters in that residency. We don’t have ballots sent out to us, unless we specifically ask, but we are all sent polling cards which tells us where to vote, what day, and what it’s for.
We still get ridiculously low turn out but at least we know it’s a choice and not due to something blocking people.
Michael Fuller
April 20, 2021 at 2:01 am
Many people don’t want to vote early, everyone delays until the last day. If you vote early, you don’t wait at all.
checkyourlogic
April 15, 2021 at 7:48 pm
Wow, she’s so beautiful! 😍
joe Vasquez
April 15, 2021 at 8:36 pm
State sovereignty and ID is wacist!!!! Let’s get rid of social security numbers and taxes!!!
Train Wreck
April 15, 2021 at 8:42 pm
We are not a democracy
We are a representative republic
AlexAr
April 16, 2021 at 3:33 am
Did she just say, “let’s hand away our voting process to big tech?”
Jonny G
April 16, 2021 at 11:02 am
Like 40% of voters receive more money in services and get money back than they put in. How is that not a conflict of interest your basically promising people money to vote for them
The Richest
April 16, 2021 at 11:19 am
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NM tmblwd
April 17, 2021 at 7:52 pm
You know what’s good about this talk whether your inclined towards or against? We agree there is a problem that needs to be fixed. Without leaning heavily to one side. How could we make voting ab honest and easy process for ALL citizens?
NM tmblwd
April 17, 2021 at 7:52 pm
You know what’s good about this talk whether your inclined towards or against? We agree there is a problem that needs to be fixed. Without leaning heavily to one side. How could we make voting an honest and easy process for ALL citizens?
Josh Barr
April 18, 2021 at 5:18 am
After a quick Google search, approximately 20 million more voters cast a ballot in the 2020 election vs the 2016 election. It’s hard to understand that we are experiencing voter suppression or “barriers” to voting that allowed such a spike. Or maybe I’ve missed something.
mudball47
April 18, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Our form of government is a Republic, not a democracy, Democracy is mob rule. You have no individual rights. If 51% think you should be killed, your are going to be killed. Maybe you should take a civics course before you lecture other people.
Venkata S
April 19, 2021 at 4:40 pm
Only 2 country in the world uses electronic voting system, 1 . Nigeria 2. India, both countries are corrupted. India uses electronic box manufactured by a Japanese firm. The biggest problem is the e machine can be hacked or changed before counting. So the evote system is a big lie. People vote can be changed by the ruling party. People can’t throw out the corrupted politician. Once a country introduces e voting then the democracy will collapse.
Vasilius
April 19, 2021 at 8:44 pm
Me in Russia:
*You guys have elections?*
Simon Joe Smith
April 20, 2021 at 11:11 am
Try China mate
Vasilius
April 21, 2021 at 8:13 am
@Simon Joe Smith lmao
duket5
April 20, 2021 at 2:16 am
This is horse crap!! We have early voting to give everyone a chance to vote before election day. People don’t vote because the government is corrupt and most races are already determined by polls, before the election is even called. This is one reason why people don’t vote. Mail-in-voting is nonsense and scandalous. All horse crap.. .
Simon Joe Smith
April 20, 2021 at 11:09 am
Too easy to say. Who controls the servers? Cambridge Analytica? As of now, it’s just a utopia to have a fair election through a Silicon Valley-controlled service. Just get an ID and vote in person. Let the scrutineers in to check operations too. Unless you are a democrat then they don’t care about fair elections.
cybersekkin
April 21, 2021 at 3:22 am
I have seen how a few countries base their voting and you are registered in the municipality you live in and so the voter roles are clean and you are only on one role instead of multiples. This is not the case in the US and so the roles in the US are not as easy to handle as those in say the UK, Japan and other countries. The US really should once and for all fix the voter roles to a system based on where you live and each town has an actual list of people registered and living in that town. You live there and are registered there so you are on the list rather than using some other ad-hoc method like the US uses.
Ownage Zizou
April 21, 2021 at 4:18 am
I’d rather be ruled by an educated minority than a dumb majority
OriginalWarblade
April 21, 2021 at 8:13 am
Have you seen the voting public? They’re not all educated.
Scott Bandeen
April 21, 2021 at 2:57 pm
I support ballot at home, like Colorado.