Bringing Democracy to America & Television

Two systems that are broken in America: U.S. Elections and Network Television. They have 2 different reasons – The Electoral College and Stupid Network Executives – but they share the same solution: Internet Voting.

A major problem with elections is that people have wised up to the fact that their votes don’t count. With television, people are beginning to realize they’re being force-fed crap by clueless morons.

The Electoral College system of representative democracy is archaic in this day and age, and should be eliminated in favor of a popular vote via online ballots. The technology exists for a democracy upgrade, why not implement it?

It's time for television networks to enter the 21st century as well. Thanks to advances in technology, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the people know what they want, and studio execs don't.

Some examples: Global Frequency, now known as the hottest TV show never aired (click the picture above to read the article), was passed over by WB executives. But thanks to Internet file-sharing, people have realized that the Global Frequency pilot is better than anything else WB (or the other networks) is likely to offer us. Family Guy: The first TV show in history to be uncancelled. Firefly: Cancelled after 13 episodes, only to be turned into a motion picture due out in September. Futurama: Abused and then cancelled by Fox, will be returning soon in straight-to-DVD movies.

These are the first times that fans' opinions have mattered since the classic Star Trek series was renewed for a third season back in the 1960s. And while it's a good trend, I have to ask, why wait and fix mistakes after TV execs make them, when the technology exists for a proactive approach? Why not just let viewers pick the pilots that they want to become series in the first place?

A savvy network could even turn the process into a reality TV series. Imagine a TV show that would let America decide a network's entire fall schedule by voting on pilots, sort of like a cross between American Idol and Project Greenlight. Popular TV critics could provide commentary, interview Nielsen Families, ridicule clips from the worst pilots, etc. How could this not generate more successful results than the system that networks use now?