Americans Elect is a website that encourages Americans to “pick a president, not a party.” The idea is that voters should be able to nominate anyone that they think would be a suitable president for the United States, without having to belong to a certain political party.
This process, according to the website, will put “America’s interests before special interests,” as a nominee who does not represent a political group would likely be less about politics and more about doing what is best for the country.
Although the concept may seem far-fetched, the Americans Elect website says that over 1.5 million signatures in favor of this system have been collected so far, and the organization is working on securing ballot access in all 50 states.
The website appears to be especially geared towards the country’s youth, who are particularly susceptible to becoming associated with a political party simply because of their parents’ or friends’ opinions.
The website has a section called “colors,” which visitors can click on to rank their priorities and determine which issues facing our country today are most important to them. Doing this, the website says, determines one’s “true colors,” and can help motivate someone to vote based on personal priorities rather than political parties and their social implications.
Visitors to the website can choose between social issues, foreign policy, environmental issues, education, immigration and economy, among other issues to rank as they see fit.
The website also has a section called “debate,” which allows anyone registered as a delegate on the site to pose questions that will spark thought and debate among readers. For example, a question posted to the website under the “Immigration” category reads, “Where do you stand on making English the official language of the United States?”
To participate in the debate and respond to or ask questions, you have to be registered as a delegate on the website. The idea is that the most debated and therefore most important questions will be answered by the final presidential candidates.
Americans Elect poses the question, “Won’t we all vote this way someday?” Harnessing the power of the Internet and the young people who use it so often doesn’t seem like a bad way to shake up a system that many seem to be unhappy with. With so many young people across the country learning and communicating through the Internet, it seems possible that a system like the one Americans Elect proposes could catch on.
A system that puts the power in the hands of the voters, not political parties, seems like something that would be favorable to everyone. But is this really possible? People naturally differ in terms of what they think is important or how they think issues could be solved. Won’t there always be separation amongst people on these subjects that essentially divide them into “political parties?”
Although whether a system like this could actually work for the United States remains questionable, anything that gets people more involved in the political process and encourages debate and discussion, especially among younger people in the country, seems like a positive thing. The real purpose of Americans Elect, at least for now, could be to do just that.
