Republican Congressman Charles Dent, representing a portion of our neighboring Northampton County, has introduced a bill to ban straight-party voting in federal elections. According to the Morning Call, 15 states, including Pennsylvania, allow straight-party voting. I personally avail myself of this feature, pressing the big D when I vote. I liked it even better when we had the machines with the little levers. When you pulled the D, all the levers clicked down automatically. I really loved that sound.
Why is Dent doing this? He says it’s not good for democracy if some voters aren’t educating themselves on all the candidates. What he is really worried about is that he represents a district in which a majority of voters are Democrats. If they press the D for a straight Democratic slate, he loses. (If only they had.)
Here’s my suggestion for Congressman Dent. If you really want to reduce polarization in Congress, speak out publicly against gerrymandering. Most analysts agree that gerrymandered districts are the main reason for one-party representation. The day Congressman Dent publicly criticizes the gerrymandered districts in Pennsylvania is the day I’ll believe he is sincere.
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