On November 21-23, more than 500 participants representing 31 states and more than 90 organizations gathered for a potentially historic pro-democracy conference in Washington, D.C. The Claim Democracy conference cast a spotlight on the many ways in which our democracy must improve and on the many individuals from across the nation who are making advances in their efforts to secure, enhance and exercise the right to vote. It also featured Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.’s clarion call for a right to vote in the Constitution. Given our severe democratic deficit outlined in the conference call-to-action, claiming democracy is no simple exercise. But a conference termed by Ballot Access News editor Richard Winger the most remarkable he had ever attended showed that each one of us can join in that essential enterprise.

The years since the 2000 presidential chaos in Florida have only served to underscore just how antiquated our electoral rules and practices have become. Despite obvious shortcomings– one cringes at attitudes toward women, people of color and the poor, nearly all of whom were denied the franchise -- the United States of two centuries ago was at the cutting edge of democratic thought and action. But rather than a democratic model, we now have become a democratic museum. We have little in our elections to show the rest of the world with pride. Our level of democracy relies far more on our traditions, our federal structure of multiple checks and balance and our people than the electoral rules and institutions that too often undercut participation, exacerbate division, under-represent diversity and fail to maintain that critical link between what voters intend and what the receive.

It was inspiring to see the range of actions underway for claiming democracy. All of the 75 sponsoring organizations – and many more besides – are pursuing laudable goals. Their representatives didn’t all agree on every particular of each other’s approaches and typically focus on signature reforms rather than the great pro-democracy mosaic, but generally support much of what other reformers and voter turnout groups do. A rising democratic tide lifts all boats, and reforms and participation can generate hunger for more reforms and greater participation – providing a glimpse of a more meaningful politics can lead to wanting more rather than being satisfied.

Saturday’s breakout sessions were organized so that state reformers, young activists and the general public could consider reforms to secure, enhance and exercise the vote through their particular interest. Speakers showed the range of practical steps that can be taken immediately, no matter where you live. For example, our Center for Voting and Democracy’s focus is opening up electoral choices and representation through instant runoff voting and full representation rather than traditional winner-take-all elections where 51% of power can silence everyone else and third parties are too easily “spoilers.” CVD representatives like former presidential candidate John Anderson and national field director Rashad Robinson urged attendees to take immediately achievable steps like adopting a fairer voting system in a local school or organization, measuring levels of participation and representation in one’s city or county and evaluating how that might change with a fairer voting system and promoting the idea that to earn electoral votes a presidential candidate in your state should have to win a majority through instant runoff voting.

On Sunday, participants had a chance to go deeper into issues and debates in more than 40 workshops and panels about the full range of reforms, including campaign finance reform, fair election methods like instant runoff voting and full representation, redistricting, easier voter registration and expanding the franchise for younger Americans, non-citizens, former felons and those in the territories. Featured debates included the case for a multi-party system in the United States (with 2000 Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader), the controversy over touchscreen voting equipment and the merits of initiative and referendum.

The conference also had several stirring plenary speeches, including ones from the Center for Constitutional Rights’ Ron Daniels, Common Cause’s Chellie Pingree, Public Campaign’s Mark Clack, the National Organization for Women’s Kim Gandy, our Center’s Steven Hill, Overruling Democracy author Jamin Raskin, Marie Wilson of the White House Project, Stephanie Moore of the Fannie Lou Hamer Project, Miles Rapoport of Demos and Texas state legislator Garnet Coleman.

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. brought down the house with his stirring speech (hear his speech on mp3 technology ) announcing a lifelong commitment to amend the Constitution to provide an affirmative right to vote – correcting a lack of federal commitment to and authority for elections that allows for degradation of the electoral process across the nation. Indeed there, right in the shadow of the Capitol and the White House, we met in a city where its citizens are denied a voting representative in Congress even as Congress imposes its will on the city. Millions of adult Americans are denied the right to vote for one reason or another, tens of millions don’t vote because we as a nation lack a federal commitment to that fundamental right and millions more are “orphaned” in states and gerrymandered congressional districts where they have no chance of joining with others to win representation.

Congressman Jackson’s solution is a daring one: to join the overwhelming number of democratic nations and affirm a clear and powerful right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. Most amendments to the United States Constitution have advanced our democracy, with many directly expanding suffrage. As we go deeper into the meaning and power of the right to vote in the wake of the conference, Claim Democracy may be seen in retrospect as the opening salvo in what could be a new campaign: one to make it clear that the right-to-vote must be fully protected, enhanced and exercised. That right needs to be clearly stated in the Constitution. If not, why not? If not now, when?