The fastest, simplest and easiest way is to pay for the participation you want. The difficulty of doing things the harder way (like creating a multi party system) are the very things people don't want the responsibility for doing. People want good government with the least effort. Define clearly the participation you want and then reward them for doing it. It is not rocket science.
We do not have a sensible voting system. And I cannot point to a country that is perfect, but some are better than others, and we can choose the good bits.
In general, I'm against obstacles to voting, as it just ends up being used to suppress, discourage, or outright disenfranchise people.
I would quote Lyndon Johnson laying out the strategy and purpose of Great Society with his characteristic honesty, but racial slurs are prohibited here.
First, Trump DID run against Obama. He jumped on the birther waggon and kept harping on it. His platform was to repeal the Affordable Care Act and roll back environmental protections and the like. His vision ‘terrible but still’ as you rightly call it, was simply doing whatever the Democrats and their cotton-picker (insult actually used during the campaign on live unscripted TV) had managed to do. And all he is doing is exactly that. Less taxes for the rich? Done. Breaking climate agreements? Check. Starting trade wars? Check. Undoing the ACA? It's defunded. Packing the Supreme Court? Check.
Sometimes we can just vote for Elizabeth Swann. But we don't.
Read this.Sommerswerd said:
Voter ID is what actually ensures turnout here. But here voting is mandatory so the state apparatus is compelled to give you your ID card at a quite cheap price. Voting days are always by law non-working days (Sundays usually), which also greatly helps.
It all hinges on what one's goals are and what it means to participate. If by participation one means "vote" then you are one path. If it means something else, then that's different. Not if one's goal is to vote knowledgeably, that is a whole different thing and much more difficult. I'll go back to what I said: clearly define what you want people to do; make it easy as possible to do it; and reward them when they do. Money is only one way to reward people, but it is easy, quick, and people like it. Personally, I think more voters is better than than fewer. Voting is a step in the more participation direction. If you want educated voters, do things in HS to encourage voting. If you want candidate knowledgeable voters then offer a two step process of rewards: $20 to vote and another $30 if you pass a test. The military has lots of success with badges, ribbons and medals as rewards for participation over time and making valued efforts. Could this method be adapted to voting or other democracy important participation? Tie voting to lower rent or taxes. There are lots of ways to reward people. Celebrate voters with a no sales tax weekend. Is there any value to a city or State to have a 50% increase in voter turnout? Once voting becomes a habit, what they once did for cash might well turn into being a better more knowledgeable voter. Non voters don't help anybody.
i disagree. People often begin doing things just for the money and then find out that there is more to it and there are other reasons why it is important. You can always offer an option to not take the money. You have to get folks started with participation. All the rest will follow given time and continued ease in doing so.
Recidivism is a complicated issue and seems to me would require a more complex solution. Voting is pretty simple and without the social issues tied to crime and punishment. Folks have to read (a requirement?) and then tick boxes in some fashion. It happens infrequently and there is no penalty if one doesn't do it. How do you respond when GOG incentivizes you to buy games? Does a time constraint motivate you further? Incentives do work. They change behavior when done right. You just have to choose carefully how you do it and that it is tied closely to the new behavior.
That's why you choose carefully exactly what behaviors you want to happen. Figure out what you want the landscape to look like when you are done. This is not a "do as a lark" type exercise. I'd even run a few limited tests first to see what happens. There is process to do this kind of thing and it must be taken on seriously and thoughtfully. Try things out at the county level and see what happens. Figure out the barriers and how to overcome them. Talk to people to see what would motivate them.
