<...it might be that some members of the Democratic Party are more interested in universal suffrage. Maybe it matters more to be seen as the party that opposes placing obstacles in the path of voters in a time when apathy and disgust are making voters turn out in record trickles. Didja ever think of it that way?

I have noticed that the Democrats don't seem to have any problem placing obstacles in the paths of Republican voters, like military personnel, but be that as it may. A cynic might get the idea that the politicians are more interested in a voter base who is easy to convince, rather than one which is educated, prosperous, and thoughtful. The ideal voter would be one who would vote Democrat after hearing two sound bites and a buzz word. One does not particularly want a voter that will look at issues in great detail--the famous Free Lunch doesn't stand up to very close examination.

As for apathy, if the 2000 election couldn't get Democrats out of the house, I'm not sure what would. The fact that more people may just have decided they didn't want to vote for a Democrat could not, of course, be the reason. Have you noticed that the Democrats will seize on ANY reason for losing an election except one: the electorate didn't like their ideas.

Legal and responsible voters who have some physical difficulty can avail themselves of many forms of assistance. In California, a voter can legally have up to two people, like relatives, in the booth with them assisting them, with certain exceptions including things like employers or union people. You would be astounded at the lengths to which the elections people here go to make it easy to vote. There are sample ballots in languages that maybe eight people on th eplanet still speak. There are ballots for visually impaired. There are special tools for punching (my wife uses one.) And ANYONE can get an absentee ballot and get as much help and time as they need filling it out. Face it, if a legal voter can't manage to vote in an election, they are not trying very hard.

What this has always been all about--same day registration, not requiring voter IDs, everything else, is to make it easy to cheat.

Something has to be done to raise the bar for voting in this country. Our government has too damn much power over its citizens to make it into a pure democracy, the Constitution is ignored, and our legislators have totally dropped the ball. Already a vast majority of our Federal budget is one group of voters voting cash out of the pockets of the rest. Maybe it would have been better if the Senators were still selected by the states instead of direct vote. Who knows?

I have admitted in many posts that I do not have Clue One about a really effective method of improving the quality voter base. Most ideas that I can think of that can be quantified at all either address a characteristic that does not really indicate the quality of the voter, or is open to abuse. How do you accurately measure responsibility and REAL intelligence (not just IQ)?

At this point I would settle for tighter enforcement of existing laws. A picture ID for voting wouldn't suck. Heck, I have to show one to write a check at the store. But again, Democrats object to that too.