Cast your vote in the US

THE BIG IDEA 60 seconds to change the world

Can a simple idea help make the world a better place? Each week we ask a guest to outline an idea to improve all our lives. Here, political scientist Farzana Shaikh suggests that every citizen in the world should be able to vote in a US election.

The world should be designated America's 51st state, or 52nd if we include Washington DC, with the right to elect America's next president.

Given that we live in a uni-polar world, where the United States effectively controls the lives of billions across the globe.

FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE More from The Forum Download the 60 Second Podcast

With President Barack Obama having reiterated, in his inaugural address, America's readiness to lead the world, I think it is time the international community was given a say in choosing its head.

By enabling peoples of the world to elect both their own leaders and the leader of the United States, I believe it would help establish a balance with American voters, who have until now enjoyed the privilege of deciding both the fate of their own country and the future of others.

Dr Farzana Shaikh is an Associate Fellow of the Asia Programme at Chatham House in London.

---

Here is a selection of your comments:

In the 2004 US Election, I did exactly that. As a US citizen, I made my vote in that presidential election available to the citizens of Malaysia, my adopted home.

The way I did this was to start an online poll allowing people to vote their will. Over 80,000 people voted. I then committed to vote in the actual US vote for whichever candidate the Malaysian voting public favoured. It wasn't Bush. In future, similarly internationally minded US citizens might consider joining their votes and forming a sort of voting bloc to represent the hopes and wishes of the international community outside of fortress America.Erik Fearn, KL, Malaysia

Perhaps in theory this sounds acceptable, but then most theories do. If the world were able to vote on US politics, surely this would be a pre-cursor to the US actually controlling the globe, leading to a United States of the world. Not exactly my first choice.Stephen, Cardiff

I think any citizen of the world should be allowed to register online to vote in the US elections and that the Rest-of-the-World vote should be worth 20 points in the American college system. The President of The United States of America becomes the most powerful man/woman on the planet and as such, we should all get a say who takes the post. Dave Edmonds, Brighton

I think we should vote in foreign elections, not just the American presidential elections. Votes could be split, like shares, into 'ordinary', for foreigners, and 'preference' for nationals of the country where the election is taking place. We have a couple of models to work from in the European Union and the Eurovision Song Contest - we would have to decide on the electoral system.Ian, Walsall

I think Dr Shaikh should advocate universal suffrage. That would allow everyone in every country to vote in any election they chose. If we had that, we would have been able to vote Mugabe out of office a long time ago. That would have vastly improved the quality of life for the Zimbabweans. Anything short of that is unacceptable. If Dr. Shaikh wants to vote in the US elections, Dr. Shaikh should emigrate legally. Jay, Texas

I agree. Everyone in the world should have the right to fill-out a US voting ballot -- as soon as they agree to fill-out a US income tax form. Brandon Fox, Worcester, MA, USA

No vexation without representation!Martin, Cambridge

I've always found "leader of the free world" to be an oxymoron. You cannot be free without democracy, so how can we have a leader that we cannot vote for and still be in the "free world"? It's about as sensible as "might makes right" which a brief flick through any history book will prove horribly false.RJ, Cambridge

As much as I admire the "out of the box" thinking of Dr. Farzana Shaikh, I find it incredibly naive. America may be a cultural leader in the global community, but its other leadership qualities simply exist to fill the vacuums left by other nations. Becky Barnhart, Richmond, VA, USA

This is an excellent study in how leaps of logic lead to absurd conclusions. The US does not "control the lives of billions across the world". No reasonable person would say such a thing. The US is the most influential nation in the world. Is that our fault? No! There is a big difference between "influence" and "control". Sadly, these subtleties are lost on ideologues. America will decide our own fate with our own voters. And none other than our own voters.Ricky B, Austin, Texas