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US has 'democracy problem': NYC mayor

Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at Rent Regulations Rally in Harlem, New York City on June 6, 2015.

The United States is confronted with a “democracy problem,” which might be solved through reforming national voting laws, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says.

“We have a democracy problem in this country, we have declining voter turnout,” de Blasio said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“Our elections are governed by state law and for a long time,” he said, adding “we need to make a fundamental series of reforms”.

Many US politicians have sought “to discourage voter involvement and a lot of incumbents prefer a very small electorate,” he noted.

On Thursday, Gov. Chris Christie, a potential candidate for 2016 election, had an argument with his Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton over New Jersey’s voting laws.

During her speech last week, Clinton slated several Republican governors by name for trying to depress turnout among young and minority voters.

Clinton said that early voting rules should be expanded, calling for automatic voter registration at the age of 18. However, Christie said Clinton does not understand what “she’s talking about.”

De Blasio said “what Governor Christie is saying distracts from the core point of the dialogue we have to have,” suggesting that Christie ought to “speak to the proposal rather than just attacking her personally."

Democratic De Blasio is pushing his party's presidential candidates to take over progressive positions on numerous national issues.

He has recently proposed a 13-point progressive plan, which calls for a rise in the minimum wage to 15 dollars per hour nationally as well as an increase in paid sick leave and in taxes on the wealthy.

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