“THE DOUBLE ZERO OPTION”

Or, Reforming the Parties through Re-election Roulette

In light of the general disgust most Americans are starting to feel toward those in power, what we need is a periodic "double zero" opportunity for the voting booth. Something similar to Roulette where the entire board is periodically scrapped clean. In other words, we need a checkbox on the next ballot that essentially says “Throw All the Bums Out!” If that box gains the most votes, then the election should be voided and a new one held in one month where none of those on the initial ballot would be allowed to re-run in the special election.

Would there be a cost? Sure, but compare that small monetary cost to the high cost democracy is already paying when voters wonder why they should bother to vote. Think of the salutary effect the mere threat would have on incumbents and office seekers. Think how useful it would be to recapture both parties from their extremists.

The bottom line is that we need something new when things get as bad as they are today. Periodically, there comes a time when the existing office holders in the majority party deserve to be thrown out for leading us into whatever spectacular mess is occurring and the existing office holders in the minority party deserve to be thrown out for being too weak, too lazy or too incompetent to have prevented it.

How could forcing an entirely new slate of candidates on both sides be worse than the present system? Heck, selecting office holders at random out of phone books would probably be better than what we are stuck with at the moment. At least a selection at random would provide the statistical possibility they wouldn't all be corrupt mental midgets.