Election ReformsSome Americans are unhappy with the current election system of the country. They say that it is not working as it is designed to be. There are reports of long lines at the polling stations that have led President Barack Obama to push for election reforms in the way Americans vote during elections.

President Obama acknowledged that a lot of people waited for a long time to vote during the elections last November. In his State of the Union address in February, the president said that the long lines at the polls are not attuned to America’s ideals.

President Obama created a new commission that would study the electoral process. It is headed by top lawyers from his 2012 campaign and that of Republican candidate Mitt Romney. The commission will try to find solutions for the problem.

Senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky argued that President Obama exaggerated the problem. He said that not everyone had to wait in line to vote last November. He cited the study made by Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the matter that concluded the average wait time was just 14 minutes.

According to the Pew Charitable Trusts’ David Becker, America can make it better. The out-of-date voter records are one of the main reasons why polling places had long lines during Election Day. Other issues include provisional ballots that cost extra money and delays.

Becker wants more automation in the process as more states let voters register via the internet. Von Spakovsky said that many states are already implementing reforms and check with each other to find out if a voter has moved or registered in more than one state. He added that the president’s new commission is redundant and does the work of an existing government board with vacant seats that the president hasn’t filled yet. The US Election Assistance Commission was started by Congress in 2002 and its job is to recommend best practices to the states.