(This ten point Voters' Bill of Rights emerged out of the Progressive Dialogue II meeting in Washington, D.C. Dec. 1-3. This is not a finalized version, as far as the specific wording. It is pretty much final as far as the 10 specific points. An emerging coalition of groups are working together towards finalizing this document. To receive the final version, the Call for a national pro-democracy campaign and other information, contact the Independent Progressive Politics Network at P.O. Box 1041, Bloomfield, N.J. 07003, 973-338-5398 (t), 338-2210 (f), [email protected], www.ippn.org ) Strong Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. As the vote in Florida demonstrated, the intimidation and disenfranchisement of communities of color still goes on. The federal Justice Department must strengthen its vote enforcement division to swiftly investigate and prosecute those who act in this way. 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% 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 and help guard against the "spoiler" factor. Clean Money Elections. A ban on "soft-money" contributions is needed immediately. We also need to establish public financing of elections. Candidates with a demonstrated base of support must be given the choice of running campaigns without accepting any special interest campaign contributions (legalized bribery), and instead receive public funds to run their campaigns. Clean election laws like those in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Arizona should be expanded to other states and taken to the federal level. Instant Runoff Voting. To encourage more participation in the electoral process, voters must know that their vote can really count. By allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference (first, second, third choice, etc.), if no candidate gets a majority of first choices, a runoff count can be conducted without the need of a second election. The same as in a traditional two-election runoff, the majority choice can be determined, while eliminating the problem of "spoiler" candidates swinging the outcome of the election. Instant runoff voting also promotes positive campaigning and coalitions, since winners may need the second choices from opponents' supporters. Proportional Representation. "Winner-take-all" is a very undemocratic way to choose representatives to government. Why should 49% of voters in a legislative district get 0% representation? Most democracies in the world use some form of proportional representation to choose legislatures. If one quarter of the voters support a particular party, they should be able to elect roughly a quarter of the seats in a city council or legislature. The majority of voters will elect the majority of seats but minorities will get their fair share of representation; it's common sense! Voting Rights for Former Prisoners. Why should ex-felons not be able to vote? They've "paid their debt to society." There are approximately 4.2 million American citizens in this category, particularly African Americans who are incarcerated at a disproportionately high rate. These lifetime voting prohibition laws violate citizens' constitutional voting rights and must be repealed. Make Voting Easier and More Reliable. Many citizens are discouraged from voting by unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and restrictions. Although most people don't get excited by 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. Voting day should be a national holiday, or on the weekend. Voting precincts should be adequately staffed with sufficiently trained personnel and professional supervision. Easier Access to the Ballot, the Media and Debates for Candidates. In our two-party system, third or fourth parties face a host of institutional barriers, from getting on the ballot to broadcasting their views. This discourages people from voting because alternative voices help enliven the political debate that is at the heart of any healthy democracy. Debates should be open to all candidates who have a mathematical chance of winning, and all such candidates should receive free air time. Create Independent and Non-Partisan Election Administration Bodies. 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. Statehood for the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia has more citizens than several other states yet it has no voting representation in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. This is manifestly undemocratic. There is no good reason why all of our citizens should not have to opportunity to choose voting representatives to Congress.