Voting Takes Work, Not Magic Answers Against ‘Nota’ Good Citizens Recognize Their Duty.

If the Founding Fathers had intended American democracy to be effortless, Thomas Jefferson would have extolled life, liberty and the delivery of happiness.

But self-governance is work, and when it falters, no magic incantation will fix it.

Some say our political system has indeed faltered when the choice in election after election, for office after office, is between dismal and dreadful. Where do they come up with these candidates?

“They”? We’ll get back to that.

Meanwhile, the magic answer is at hand: “NOTA,” or “none of the above.”

The NOTA theory is simple: Design elections like multiple-choice tests. Voters who don’t like the known options can reject them all. If NOTA wins, we’ll have another election and - abracadabra! - an acceptable candidate materializes. It’s a come-from-behind win for democracy.

How? How will afterthought candidates be preferable to those who cared enough to prepare themselves, to spend their time and energy campaigning, to submit themselves and their ideas for public inspection?

That’s the nice thing about magic. You don’t have to worry about “how.” You just have to believe.

Of course, what we might find, when the smoke clears, are Machiavellian schemes far worse than the political strategies we find distasteful now - cynical plots by schemers who besmirch all the formal contenders so they can drag out an unknown protege whom a weary public won’t have the time or energy to examine.

But, as Jefferson knew, civic happiness isn’t pizza. Nobody delivers it to your doorstep.

You have to pursue it. You have to work for it. You have to be an involved, informed citizen - not just on election day but all year-round, too.

You don’t blame “them” - parties, political action committees or anyone else - for failing to provide attractive choices. You recognize that’s your duty.

You raise your voice on behalf of causes that matter to you. You and other citizens define your vision, and you recruit and support candidates who share it. Maybe you run for office yourself.

If we, as Americans, find all that too strenuous, maybe we owe Mad King George an apology. And if we think democracy works like magic, who’s really mad?

, DataTimes MEMO: For opposing view see headline: Voters need better choices, campaigns

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = EDITORIAL, COLUMN - From both sides CREDIT = Doug Floyd/For the editorial board