On Monday, December 18, members of the Electoral College will gather in
the 50 state capitals to cast their ballots for the President of the
United States. It is very likely that the electors voting that day will
select the candidate who did not receive the most votes. This illogical
outcome, the result of a constitutional anachronism, is just the tip of
the iceberg.
Other serious flaws that weaken the spirit of our democracy include: the legalized bribery that constitutes our campaign finance system, the disenfranchisement of ex-felons in many states, the institutional obstacles facing third parties, the unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles placed before voters, and the partisan control of institutions that determine electoral rules.
The changes needed to remedy these ills are well known. Clean money elections, voting rights for ex-felons, open debates, truly non-partisan and independent electoral commissions, and new voter registration systems would go a long way toward enlivening our democracy. In the past, reactionary forces have been able to hold off these commonsense reforms. But now the controversy surrounding the presidential election and the heightened attention on our electoral systems offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to gain greater public support for these reforms. The first chance to take advantage of this opportunity is when the Electoral College casts its ballots.
We are calling on citizens of conscience across the US to hold rallies and teach-ins in their state capitals on December 18 to shed light on our system¼s flaws and to demand a more truly democratic political system.
We call for:
o Abolishment of the Electoral College and its replacement with a majority rule system. The president should be elected by direct, popular vote and must receive a majority of the votes to take office. If no candidate receives 50 percent-plus one of the votes cast, a runoff election must be held. A system called Instant Runoff Voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, will streamline the process and help guard against the "spoiler" factor.
o Clean money elections. A ban on "soft-money" contributions is needed immediately. The next step after that is to establish public financing of elections. Candidates must be given the choice of receiving public funds to run their campaigns. Clean election laws like those in Maine, Massachusetts and Arizona should be expanded to other states and taken to the federal level.
o An end to racial discrimination at the polls. As the vote in Florida demonstrated, the intimidation and disenfranchisement of minority communities still exists. We call for a thorough investigation by the Justice Department of the allegations of voter discrimination on November 7. We also express our opposition to restrictions in nine states that ban ex-felons on voting for life. These restrictions affect approximately 4.2 million American citizens, particularly African-Americans who are incarcerated at a disproportionately high rate. These lifetime voting prohibition laws violate citizens¼ constitutional voting rights and must be repealed.
o Create independent and non-partisan electoral commissions. As the controversy in Florida has proved, the partisan control of electoral institutions can cast a cloud of illegitimacy across what should be the simple act of vote counting. Electoral commissions at all levels of government should be truly non-partisan. Many countries, including neighboring Canada and Mexico, already have such bodies. We need to move to emulate those kinds of truly impartial systems.
o Make voting easier. Many citizens are discouraged from voting by unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. Although most people don¼t get excited about politics until a few weeks before an election, in 44 states it is already too late to register to vote by then. Citizens should be able to register to vote on voting day itself. And voting day should be a national holiday, or on the weekend.
o Open up the electoral system to third parties. In our two party system, third parties face a host of institutional barriers, from getting on the ballot to broadcasting their views. This is unfortunate because minor parties help enliven the political debate that is at the heart of any healthy democracy. Debates should be opened to third party candidates, and all candidates should receive free air time. Proportional representation and instant runoff voting should be considered as ways to give voters a broader choice.
Other serious flaws that weaken the spirit of our democracy include: the legalized bribery that constitutes our campaign finance system, the disenfranchisement of ex-felons in many states, the institutional obstacles facing third parties, the unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles placed before voters, and the partisan control of institutions that determine electoral rules.
The changes needed to remedy these ills are well known. Clean money elections, voting rights for ex-felons, open debates, truly non-partisan and independent electoral commissions, and new voter registration systems would go a long way toward enlivening our democracy. In the past, reactionary forces have been able to hold off these commonsense reforms. But now the controversy surrounding the presidential election and the heightened attention on our electoral systems offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to gain greater public support for these reforms. The first chance to take advantage of this opportunity is when the Electoral College casts its ballots.
We are calling on citizens of conscience across the US to hold rallies and teach-ins in their state capitals on December 18 to shed light on our system¼s flaws and to demand a more truly democratic political system.
We call for:
o Abolishment of the Electoral College and its replacement with a majority rule system. The president should be elected by direct, popular vote and must receive a majority of the votes to take office. If no candidate receives 50 percent-plus one of the votes cast, a runoff election must be held. A system called Instant Runoff Voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, will streamline the process and help guard against the "spoiler" factor.
o Clean money elections. A ban on "soft-money" contributions is needed immediately. The next step after that is to establish public financing of elections. Candidates must be given the choice of receiving public funds to run their campaigns. Clean election laws like those in Maine, Massachusetts and Arizona should be expanded to other states and taken to the federal level.
o An end to racial discrimination at the polls. As the vote in Florida demonstrated, the intimidation and disenfranchisement of minority communities still exists. We call for a thorough investigation by the Justice Department of the allegations of voter discrimination on November 7. We also express our opposition to restrictions in nine states that ban ex-felons on voting for life. These restrictions affect approximately 4.2 million American citizens, particularly African-Americans who are incarcerated at a disproportionately high rate. These lifetime voting prohibition laws violate citizens¼ constitutional voting rights and must be repealed.
o Create independent and non-partisan electoral commissions. As the controversy in Florida has proved, the partisan control of electoral institutions can cast a cloud of illegitimacy across what should be the simple act of vote counting. Electoral commissions at all levels of government should be truly non-partisan. Many countries, including neighboring Canada and Mexico, already have such bodies. We need to move to emulate those kinds of truly impartial systems.
o Make voting easier. Many citizens are discouraged from voting by unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. Although most people don¼t get excited about politics until a few weeks before an election, in 44 states it is already too late to register to vote by then. Citizens should be able to register to vote on voting day itself. And voting day should be a national holiday, or on the weekend.
o Open up the electoral system to third parties. In our two party system, third parties face a host of institutional barriers, from getting on the ballot to broadcasting their views. This is unfortunate because minor parties help enliven the political debate that is at the heart of any healthy democracy. Debates should be opened to third party candidates, and all candidates should receive free air time. Proportional representation and instant runoff voting should be considered as ways to give voters a broader choice.