We hope to use it as a valuable educational tool in the next two years as we approach the next line-drawing following the 2000 census. This is when the enthusiasm was greatest. All in all, I would say it was a great two days of networking, inspiration and education that had the desired effect of boosting PR activism a small notch or two. Ralph Cole of Justicevision reports that the two day Empower the Voter Conference is available on two videotapes, day one and day 2. Each day's recording went over 6 hours.
Donations go toward the costs of videotaping the conference and making the tapes available.
If the rest of America is any barometer, a record low number of voters will turn out for the Sept. 15 primaries in Maryland and the District. Many people want to revitalize politics by reforming campaign finance, but it may be time to change our election systems as well. Voting can seem superfluous when many districts are so reliably Democratic or Republican and the same three incumbents are returned to office by huge margins each election. To inject new life into these lethargic legislative elections, Maryland could adopt cumulative voting. Under this system, voters can divide their three votes in any way they choose, giving two votes to one candidate and one to another, for example, or giving all three votes to a single candidate.