The Constitution’s Framers designed our country to be a constitutional federal republic functioning as a representative democracy. Over time, the extension of voting to previously enslaved people and women was a hard-fought, centuries-long process that reshaped the nation. Now, the idea of having your voice heard and vote count is considered a fundamental right of every American.

But today these rights are being threatened by those who value holding on to power over the right of others to be heard and fairly represented.  Regardless of our political affiliations we must protect the right and ability of every American to vote regardless of what they believe. 

We believe...

• Government should be of the people, by the people and for the people.

• Every eligible citizen, regardless of what they believe, has the right to be heard, to vote, and to be fairly represented.

• Every eligible candidate has a right to be heard.

• Voters have a right to learn a candidate’s position on issues important to them. One of the best ways to do that is to watch all candidates respond, side by side, to identical questions in a live debate or forum. 

Money in Politics

Money is power. When money also became “free speech” in 2010, candidates with a significant money advantage were ble to dominate a challenger with campaign advertising and refuse to participate in a debate or forum with those candidates. Election results became more dependent on which candidate had the most money rather than which candidate would best serve the voters.

Campaign contributions must be completely transparent and limited again. The Citizen’s United decision must be overturned by a constitutional amendment.

Fair Maps  

Gerrymandering must be outlawed at both the federal and state level. Gerrymandering allows the political party in power to change district boundaries to favor their candidates. The political party who controls the map drawing process can control the majority with fewer overall votes.

One way to eliminate gerrymandering is to assign the job of redistricting to an Independent Redistricting Commission.

Electoral System Reform

Many election system reforms have been devised to promote more competition among candidates and to more closely represent all voters.

Here are two election system reforms in use today that are gaining in popularity.

Proportional Ranked Choice Voting. Instead of electing one legislator in a ‘winner take all’ election, larger districts are created that allow multiple winners.  Voters then elect the winners using rank choice voting.

Final Five. This election system consists of an open preliminary election to select a field of five candidates for a given office followed by a single winner ranked choice general election to determine the majority winner.