Total Recall, All the Time

Universal Studios Sufferage

Here’s a radical yet logical idea. Since we are seemingly
doomed to be bombarded with all of the bombast and banality of the California
recall
election, we should all be allowed to vote in it. Given the preeminent
role of California in our national media, entertainment and economic
life, the office of Governor has tremendous influence in all of our lives,
and so we should have some influence in his election. We are all Californians,
in a way.

OK, so maybe we shouldn’t have as much say as people who
actually LIVE in California, but maybe they could give the rest of us
a half vote each. We could vote over the internet, making it easy to
keep track with real-time, on-screen graphics as the titanic struggle
comes to a head and a national audience votes the pretenders off the
island, leaving only the one true Governor standing.

There are plenty more clever ideas where that one came from, designed to encourage
a
renaissance of participatory democracy. Next week I’ll tell you about my idea
that all shrink-wrapped
copies of the Windows OS should include a certificate for one share of Microsoft
stock, so any user who wants can vote in the annual shareholders meetings!