One of the problems that exists in our current system, and indeed, in any system, is voter apathy. Many people just don’t have the time or interest to follow the campaigns, and to keep of what each candidate stands for, or plans to do. This is an issue because it keeps people from making an informed choice, and often leads to candidates winning based on popularity, or other equally frivolous reasons.

We need to have a method of giving a simple overview of what each candidate stands for at the actual election. We could leave it up to the Election Commissioner to prepare a brief blurb about all of the candidates, but that would be a large job, and could also leave the commissioner open to accusations of bias from some of the candidates.

I’d like to see a system in which, prior to elections, each eligible candidate may submit a brief summary (restricted to a certain number of characters) to the election commissioner that outlines what they want to do, and why they feel that they’re right for the position. These summaries would then be included in the post under the poll that the election commissioner creates for that particular position.

Voters would then have a handbook of sorts to reference so that they can make more informed decisions. It also gives the candidates one final chance to make their case on an even playing field.