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Nov

29

Erect an Election Process: Designers Needed


Okay – so maybe I miss a Google result here and there, but chances are, when I get an e-mail from someone I don’t know or about something I don’t know about, I’m going to go to Google before I do much else. Or I might e-mail a few folks, or I might do both.

So, when I received an invitation to participate in the Your Billion Dollar President project, I did just that and boy, as usual, I can’t believe they’re asking me (and, as usual, I hope they aren’t sorry that they did).

First, here’s a background piece on the very new bigger picture venture, a morning radio show from Public Radio International and WNYC (NY’s WCPN; Studio 360, On The Media, etc.).

The “they” in this case is producer Jonathan Dyer and journalist (and blogger!) John Hockenberry – do you know that records say he was the first host of Talk of the Nation? Cool.

[Now, one thing I haven't researched yet, but is a topic for yet another hunt I need to pursue, is whether this project is one of those that benefitted from Joan Kroc, Ray Kroc (of McDonald's) widow. She gave $225 million to public radio - as in NPR, though not PRI, which is the connection for the Billion Dollar Pres project - a few years ago, when she died, and I have really wanted to know what's been done with it. Here's something about the plans to only spend $10 million/year and the Wall Street Journal published this update in 10/07. Is there a book out there that tells us what McDonald's has done for us, and not just to us, lately?]

Here’s what its about:

By the time the last chad drops on November 4, 2008, the cost of electing the next president will exceed a billion dollars. Yep. One billion dollars. Is this what democracy costs? Your Billion Dollar President will be crunching the numbers with you over the next few months on public radio and on this website.

In these four monthly, one-hour public radio elections specials and on this website, Your Billion Dollar President will look at how your money is being spent and invite you to weigh in. And, in early 2008, these specials will lead us to a new national daily morning public radio show with your hosts John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji. These specials and the forthcoming morning show are designed for an audience interested in real dialogue, up-to-the-minute news, global perspectives and engaging conversation on and off the air. We hope to serve as a national watercooler and a trusted morning companion. The conversation starts now. We hope you’ll join us.

Now, here’s my task and yours, because Jonathan Dyer has encouraged me to solicit ideas from WLST readers, an excellent suggestion, and one which Lisa Renee is also taking:

I am part of team of public radio program producers making a series of special programs ahead of next year’s election. The next program in our series will look at the process by which presidents are elected, and seek suggestions on how it could be redesigned – assuming that few of us want an election that costs so much and take so long…

We are looking for politically minded people to have a go at redesigning how the president gets elected – from scratch. If you had a blank slate and you could design an election process that you thought more fair / equitable / cheaper / quicker / kinder to Ohio, what would it look like? What would your priorities be?

…We will be basing part of the next edition of the program in Ohio.

You can check out our web site/blog here and listen to the last edition of the program here.

While the production team is based in New York, the program will air nationally in mid-December.

And about your comments:

The idea is that all constraints are off. The more innovative the ideas are the better. We’re also interested in hearing from determined non-voters out there.

And:

It might also be interesting to hear Ohioans make the case for having the first primary – if the primary process should exist at all.

They will be following the comments but feel free to go to their blog and comment, too.
So – how would you respond to the questions – what are your druthers about the design of an election process?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:24 pm November 29th, 2007 in Announcements, Blogging, Campaigning, Elections, Government, Media, Ohio, Politics 

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One Response to “Erect an Election Process: Designers Needed”

  1. 1 Designers Wanted: To build new election process | Brewed Fresh Daily on January 2nd, 2008 6:44 am

    [...] posted a lengthy entry here and Lisa Renee of Glass City Jungle talks about Your Billion Dollar President here, [...]

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