HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA –- After tonight’s debate at the Kodak Theater, people (and CNN) kept talking about an Obama-Hillary or Hillary-Obama combo ticket. I don’t know if that is the case… either way the notion will be swamping the airwaves until the 5th thanks to Wolf.
More important, is that we are watching history, and because of that, people of all creeds and colors what to be a part of the action. They want to campaign, they want to caucus, they want to vote, they want a voice, and they want the Country to change its course. (more…)
This video report just in from Why Tuesday? correspondents Jessica Menter and Lindsey Seelhorst, back from a weekend monitoring the South Carolina Democratic primary. (more…)
South Carolina has spoken, and in larger numbers than ever before. Over half a million people cast their ballots in the Democratic primary there, almost double the previous record. Check out this screen grab from Yahoo! News:
I’m packing for tomorrow’s CNN/YouTube Republican debate in Florida. In July we went to the CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate in Charleston, South Carolina. In this blast from the past, I ask CNN SVP David Bohrman why the state of our voting system didn’t get more attention in the first debate. (more…)
Five days ago Will Moredock, a columnist for the Charleston City Paper in South Carolina made the case for increasing voter turnout in his state. Given the history of disenfranchisement in South Carolina, he says that young folks who are eligible - you can be 17 to vote in a South Carolina primary if you’ll be 18 by the general election - should “be an adult” and vote. But there’s something else that might help increase voter turnout, and it’s something he doesn’t mention. See if you can figure it out. (more…)
What does U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich think about the state of our voting system? “People want their vote counted, and they want their vote to count,” he says. Like other candidates, Kucinich talks about how candidates must inspire voters to increase turnout. But he also believes Election Day should be a National Holiday. (more…)
Being here at the Citadel in Charleston for the CNN/YouTube debate has been an amazing experience! The fact that our question wasn’t chosen shows how important it is that we continue this conversation about reforming the way (and maybe day) we vote.
Even though America ranks 139 out of 172 countries in the world in voter turnout, and more people vote for American Idol than the U.S. president, tonight there was only one question on election reform and one candidate given time to answer. Not to worry. I’m headed up to the spin room with my camera to get some real answers.
Here’s the question we wanted the candidates to answer tonight:
Check back here soon for my video report from Charleston. It may be a day or so. I’m headed back to Why Tuesday? global headquarters in NYC tomorrow morning.
Lots of laughs in the press filing center at the debate’s open. Chris Dodd is answering the first question.
No election reform question yet.
* 7:30 PM: Half an hour into the debate. Still no sign of any election reform questions.
* 8:12 PM: Over half way there and still no election reform question for the candidates.
* 8:30 PM: First election reform question! From Melissa in California:
Only New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was given time to answer this question before a commercial break. I’ll get the transcript ASAP.
* Richardson’s response: Here are Richardson’s comments on election reform (as transcribed by CNN), the only comments on the topic during the entire debate:
I, as president, I would push the whole country to verified paper trails. There are close to 10 states that do this.
(APPLAUSE)
My state a year ago, my state was one of those states, along with Florida and Ohio, that, because of the touch-tones, there was uncertainty about the election.
We have close to 50 percent of those Americans eligible to vote voting. That is inexcusable, compared to many other nations. We need to have same-day registration. We need to have an effort to get the Republican Party to stop suppressing minority voters. We need to find ways also to depoliticize the Justice Department that tried to find those voters that were legitimately voting.
Why Tuesday? believes election reform is a nonpartisan issue. In our upcoming online documentary series we’ll take a closer look at the kinds of reforms Governor Richardson proposed during the debate, and more. Again, we are non-political and universal in our advocacy; Why Tuesday? welcomes community and national leaders, voters and non-voters, young and old, and members of all political parties (or none).
I just interviewed Anderson Cooper. He said that he really liked the question we submitted for the debate, which he presented on his show last Monday. Still, that doesn’t mean it will be included in the debate, so stay tuned.
Also stick around for my video report from the debate, including the interview with Anderson. You’ll find it here later tonight or tomorrow morning.
* Add John King: CNN’s chief political correspondent and I spent some time talking about what he calls America’s “broken government.” The footage will be in the video. See it here soon.
I just spent a minute talking with James Kotecki, “probably the world’s foremost expert on YouTube videos posted by presidential candidates,” according to the Economist. Here’s the photo, taken by his friend Emily who is featured in some of his many video blogs he’s uploading today from the debate.
Check out his YouTube page. Here’s to hoping that James starts asking the presidential candidates he interviews if they think our election system is broken, what they plan to do about it, and if they know why we vote on Tuesday.
Why Tuesday? is a non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2005 to find solutions to increase voter turnout and participation in elections.
