A Modest Proposal: Global Suffrage

It is the essence of American democracy: every U.S. citizen over 18, except for prisoners and, in some states, ex-cons, can register to vote for the next President. But while many Americans don’t take the obligation seriously — only about 70% even bother to register and just half of those eligible voted in the 2000 election — the U.S. continues to exclude a vast pool of important constituents who would, if given the chance, treat voting like the sacred duty it is. These people are affected every day by the decisions made in the White House. They deserve a say in the electoral process. America, it’s time to let the rest of the world vote for your President.

Before you snigger, there are ample precedents for my proposal. Those lucky enough to be conquered and made honorary citizens of ancient Rome were polled once in a while, and the citizens of French territories like French Polynesia and French Guiana still vote for a French President every five years. The rest of the world may not be an official American colony, but it sure feels that way sometimes. And if the CIA used to decide how elections turned out in other countries, then it’s about time we foreigners played a part in deciding who sits in the Oval Office.

The benefits are obvious. The world would finally have a real voice in deciding who will govern it for the next four years, while presidential candidates would be forced to ask us for our votes and not just enjoy our oil exports or our appetite for Big Macs and Hollywood blockbusters. If the U.S. invades one of us — or makes a Titanic sequel — we can respond at the ballot box.

There would be gains for the U.S., too. More voters means more competition for influence and even bigger piles of cash for the Republicans and the Democrats. (Campaign contributions from foreign nationals, currently illegal, would be part of the deal.) Global voting would create exciting geopolitical swings and counterswings and drive up ratings for America’s television networks. Picture the scene on election night: the early results have just started trickling in from the Republican stronghold of Saudi Arabia; hold on a second, though, Germany has started voting and it’s looking good for Kerry; wait, Icelandic environmentalists are going with Nader. Sure, there’s a chance the crucial European vote could swing the election, but at least the loser would have the satisfaction of blaming the French for real.

Perhaps the best way to sell the plan to skeptical Americans is as a new weapon in the war on terror. A lot of folks around the world still can’t vote for their own leaders. Give them a say in a U.S. election and they may start getting ideas of their own. Before you know it, the world’s despots would be forced to hold local elections or deal with rowdy citizens who have had a taste of democracy and again look to the U.S. as a beacon. There could be no accusations of unilateralism, and less need to invade. People everywhere will have made their choice in the one election that really matters.

Honestly, we don’t want too much. Treat us like the 51st state (hey, you already do!) and give us 50 electoral votes in the complicated U.S. system. (That’s fewer than California but more than New York or Texas.) Those votes could be allocated according to population and political and economic influence. By my reckoning, Europe should get around 18 votes, Japan 7, and China 6, with an extra vote added every time China sees its economy grow by 10% or its athletes win an additional 10 gold medals at the Olympics.

I tried out my idea on my father-in-law, a Nebraskan so conservative that he thinks driving on the left side of the road is subversive. Sure, he said, non-Americans could vote, “as long as you pay the same taxes as we do.” I suspect most other Americans will be far less sanguine about enfranchising foreigners. But perhaps even the suggestion that the world should one day vote would be enough to inspire a higher turnout come November. Maybe Americans would be so appalled by my idea that they actually got themselves to a polling place to make sure foreign influence was kept to a minimum. Fair enough. I just hope they realize that their vote affects the rest of us. Whether we like it or not.