Abstract and illustrations submitted to Strelka Mag
The United States elections circus spans more than half of every presidential term—a little over two years, restarting every four. During the primary season, citizens vote one state at a time, starting with Iowa, continuing on a path of arbitrarily spaced-out primaries and caucuses to determine party nominees. At the general election, each state—and, without rhyme or reason, sometimes each county within each state—creates their own rules regarding ballot design, voter identification protocol, polling place practices, etc. Before 2020, it was already a systems-design nightmare.
Even in a pandemic, some Americans must still vote in person at polling locations. On Tuesday, 7 April 2020, citizens of Wisconsin were forced to go to the polls on the same day that 129 new cases of COVID-19 appeared in that state. And while numerous doctors and scientists try to convince Americans to physically isolate, Republican-led states are on track to continue forcing people to risk their health by voting in-person. Kentucky has gone a step further, changing their voter identification law mid-crisis, requiring a stricter form of ID. Meanwhile, Kentucky ID-issuing offices are closed due to the virus.
The history of voting in the US reveals an absence of coherent design strategy and a country whose elections have always been hackable. This pandemic has torn the facade further back, making it more obvious that America’s obsession with decentralization and individualism converge in the design of the ultimate shitshow election. Is there a collective imagination potent enough to save the United States?