What One Change in American Political System Would You Ask Santa For?

Christmas is upon us and, with it, the treasured and widely enjoyed tradition of giving and receiving presents. For this occasion, let’s focus on the receiving part. If Santa were to promise to bring you one major change to the American political system, what would your little heart desire most? Huh?

Would it perhaps be something in the area of election and voting reform? Here are some ideas:

- Ranked Choice Voting: To encourage centrist candidates and make it more likely the elected candidates have a decent level of support from the majority of the population.

- Open Primaries: To offer voters more choices and encourage consensus-building among candidates.

- Abolishing the Electoral College: Changing the presidential election system so that the candidate who wins the most popular votes nationwide wins the presidency.

- Campaign Finance Reform: Limiting the influence of wealthy donors, corporations, and special interests (often referred to as "money in politics") through stronger disclosure laws, caps on the amount and timing of spending, and small-donor empowerment.

Or would it be about government accountability and ethics:

- Term Limits: Limiting the number of terms members of Congress are allowed to serve. This is a proposal that often receives very high support across party lines.

- Stronger Ethics Laws: Passing reforms to prevent conflicts of interest, such as banning individual stock ownership by members of Congress and imposing tougher ethics requirements for all officials.

- Anti-Corruption Measures: Addressing the perceived corruption that stems from lobbying and the close ties between politicians and special interests.

Or would you focus on reducing partisanship and gridlock:

- Increased Compromise: A desire for politicians to work across the aisle and prioritize consensus over partisan loyalty.

- Multi-Party System & Proportional Representation: Some believe that a more dynamic multi-party system is necessary to provide a real check on the dominant parties.

So gather your thoughts, think hard and let everyone know what you’d ask Santa for. See what others think about it. Could it ever actually come to pass? Talk about what other people would wish for. Raves and rants, passionate but respectful, should all be good food for thought.

Speaking of food, you also have the option of just bringing your popcorn, sitting back and enjoying the dynamic.

Zoom link will be provided on the day of the event.