Electoral Dysfunction

Aired on PBS, this humorous exposé on the "bizarre" (and not necessarily accurate) system of American voting is hosted by a playfully arch Mo Rocca, a man who is equally convivial whether speaking with regional Tea Party superstars or hardcore liberal Democrats. A "Rednecks for Obama" poster conjures poignant memories of the hope-filled election year of 2008, as Rocca travels to Indiana in order to watch the ballot process under some of the nation's strictest electioneering laws. Rocca looks at the U.S. electoral college system, a horribly flawed compromise hatched among individual states and selfish special-interests during the early years of the republic. The controversial voter ID mandate here emerges as a troublemaking “solution” to a problem that never existed, while tallying of absentee ballots lets both sides charge that the other is “stealing” the election (no mention is made of campaign finance, a whole other witch-brew). Interviewees include author Larry Norden and designer Todd Oldham (who points out how poor page layout contributed to the 2000 Bush-Gore chaos). Clearly reform is needed, but viewers will unlikely find much in this entertaining film by David Deschamps, Leslie D. Farrell, and Bennett Singer to suggest that change will be coming any time soon. Sure to appeal to political junkies on both sides of the aisle, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)