jesse ventura talk: Two Ways Jesse Ventura Wants to Improve America's Voting Ballot

Jesse Ventura's got two problems with America's voting ballots. First, he doesn't like that they list a candidate's political party next to the candidate's name. "When you go into vote there should just be a name. There should not be a party designation underneath it," said Ventura on Howard Stern.

Ventura feels that listing candidates' parties next to their names encourages misinformed voting. "You're voting the party, not the person," said Ventura, "If you eliminate the party on the ballot then you as a voter have to educate yourself. What does John Smith stand for? What does Bill Jones stand for?"

And by "educate yourself," Ventura's referring to the politics of the specific candidate, not just the party. This distinction is important because a candidate's views often clash with the party's views. For example, the Republican party is against the decriminalization of marijuana but Ron Paul, a congressman from Texas, is for it. If voters are unaware of this rift then how can they vote wisely?

Ventura's answer is that an uninformed voter can't vote wisely. Describing the mentality of most voters, Ventura said, "Right now when you walk into vote you can be stupid and say, 'Well, I like what Republicans do so I vote Republican.'" Clearly, Ventura's got a problem with people's blind willingness to vote for candidates simply because they're Democrats, Republicans, Greens, etc.

Another problem Ventura's got with America's voting ballots is that they don't include "none of the above" as a voting option. Ventura feels many Americans, like himself, are fed up with their government and the two-party system. Instead of voting for another ineffective Republican or Democrat, Ventura feels many Americans would prefer the "none of the above" option which essentially is a vote of no confidence.

"I believe strongly that if they did that at local, state and national you would see 'none of the above' occasionally win," said Ventura on Wolf Blizter. The 'none of the above" option, while largely symbolic, gives voters who are unhappy with the status-quo an opportunity to express themselves via the ballot box. Essentially, it's an opportunity for voters to say, "I dislike all the candidates in this year's election."

Because of this, a "none of the above" option also encourages people to fill out a ballot even if they're unwilling to vote for any of the listed candidates. Ventura, describing the mindset of a voter who would choose the "none of the above" option, said, "What that truly would mean is that I'm here. I'm participating in the system. I'm voting. But it's also a vote of no confidence."

Gov. Jesse Ventura - Howard Stern Show 10-13-2010 Part 1 (click play to listen)