• Mailbox: Dan Johnson-Weinberger of the Chicago office of the Center for Voting and Democracy e-mails this response to my RedEye column this morning:

Thanks for citing the Center for Voting and Democracy in your column. I'm the Chicago-based staffer. I liked the point about candidates not engaging voters. But, we can change the electoral system so that those candidates that *do* appeal to young voters (and we remain a minority) can still get elected. Good things to do (and something worth following, as we'll be lobbying for
these changes in Illinois) include:

same-day voter registration (how do you think Ventura won?)
instant runoff voting (get a first choice and a second choice when you vote)
make it legal for young people to run for Congress or the Presidency (why should you have to wait until you are 35 to be eligible to run?)

Dan's e-mail signature includes a Chinese proverb:
Those who are saying it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are
doing it.