I'm so over this election already

I can't wait until September 20, 2024, because that is Virginia's first day of early voting. I will be there that morning to do my part to save democracy by voting for Harris and Walz. I will do my part, and then I plan to go into deep election coverage denial mode because I have been sick and tired of the bujllshit show that our elections have become. I wish that we had set election periods of, say, three months. That is plenty of time to hold primaries and get the nominees set. Political ads should be banned except during the three-month election period.

Campaigns should get equal amounts of TV and radio airtime to present their positions and platforms. Three months is plenty of time for the positions to be made clear to the voting public. If a candidate cannot make a directed appeal for support in three months, they don't deserve to be elected.

We should institute ranked-choice voting to eliminate runoff elections in the states. And there should be a national voting requirement that everyone over 18 gets to vote. This includes prisoners, although an exception can be made for murderers and other particularly violent criminals.

When they turn 18 or achieve citizenship, every citizen should receive an electronic and snail-mail confirmation of their voting status. This should be the only requirement for voting.

Sadly, these common-sense ideas will never be enacted because they strike at the heart of those who control our democracy now. As George Carlin pointed out, we have the illusion of freedom when we have only choices pre-determined for us by the rich and powerful.