Lessons from 2020 election: Embrace reforms and clarity

The tumultuous 2020 election brought out the best of America with historic voter turnout and selfless Election Day workers braving a global pandemic to manage the most difficult election in American history.

The 2020 election also saw the worst of America as the President of the United States refused to accept the will of the American voters and incited his supporters to reject the hallmark of American democracy — a peaceful transition of power.

The 2020 election cycle exposed the very ugly nature of America’s partisan political divide in the digital age. How could this bitter partisan division persist even while our families and our communities are facing the greatest health crisis in our nation’s history?

It is clear to me that our elections, combined with the rise of social media, are increasingly rewarding the extreme voices in our political discourse and deepening the fragmentation of our political passions to the point where partisan allegiance means more than our allegiance to the country and each other.

In November 2019, I became a registered Independent voter because I wanted to break free of a toxic political environment that seems fixated on furthering our differences rather than advancing a government focused on consensus building and getting real things done for real people.

With the 2020 election behind us, it is time to heal the wounds of our body politic through reforms that I believe will empower a majority of Pennsylvanians whose voices have been drowned out by the perpetual bickering of partisan extremists.

First, the legislature should embrace election reforms advanced by nonpartisan groups, like the Committee of Seventy, that would allow for open primaries and an independent redistricting commission. Both reforms would moderate partisan gamesmanship in our electoral process by ensuring every voice and every vote will have equal weight in Pennsylvania’s elections.

Secondly, we should advocate for more uniformity in how we conduct our elections to ensure the integrity of the process and confidence in the outcome. Voters deserve clear election rules set by the legislature and faithfully followed by all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. Our elections should inspire confidence that the election process is fair to every voter, regardless of where they vote or how they cast their ballot.

Finally, it is time for all of us in Pennsylvania and around the country to call for responsible regulation of social media platforms.

Increasingly, social media platforms are a primary source of news and the dissemination of political information. Too often, social media platforms are manipulated to distort the truth, perpetuate distrust, and, in its very worst manifestation, encourage violence.

There should be rules that govern social media — rules imposed by the federal government that has regulated our original forms of mass communication, radio and television, since the passage the Communications Act of 1934 created the Federal Communications Commission.

Ultimately, what we have learned from the 2020 election is that the American people are much stronger than the politicians and political interests that seek to divide us.

State Sen. John Yudichak