Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Let the Electoral College Know We Want Democracy Now!
Entire families will be traveling to Sacramento and the capitols of all 50 states this coming Monday to rally against the concept of a private Presidential Election by a select group of people who are supposedly wiser than the general citizenry. For more than 200 years, no issue has been more heavily debated by Congress (and even the founders of this country) than the very existence of the "Electoral College." (Photo and Caption by David Hanks/Global Exchange)
For more information:
http://www.globalexchange.org/democracy/sa...
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
"It was...desirable that the election should be made by men most capable of analyzing" ... and that ... "a small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations." -- Alexander Hamilton (Federalist Papers No. 68 -- "The Mode of Electing the President" -- Friday 14 March 1788).
"I have ever considered the constitutional mode of election ultimately by the Legislature voting by States as the most dangerous blot in our Constitution, and one which some unlucky chance will some day hit and give us a pope and antipope." --Thomas Jefferson (Letter to George Hay, 1823)
Let the Electoral College Know We Want Democracy Now! -- Clean It! Fix It! Build It!
Rally and Press Conference
Monday December 18th at the Capitol Building in Sacramento 12-2pm
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, discrimination against black voters, 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, enforcement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, proportional representation and instant run-off voting, 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 common sense 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 system's flaws and to demand a more truly democratic political system.
We call for:
* 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.
* 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.
* An end to racial discrimination at the polls. As the vote in Florida demonstrated, the intimidation and disenfranchisement of minority communities persist with vigor. We call for a thorough investigation by the Justice Department of the allegations of voter discrimination on and around 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 citizens' constitutional voting rights and must be repealed.
* 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.
* Make voting easier. Many citizens are discouraged from voting by unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. Although most people don't 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.
* 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.
Speakers (Partial List)
* Ted Frazier - SF NAACP
* Ruth Holbrook - President Sacramento Central Labor Council
* Randy Hayes - Rainforest Action network
* Fran Beal - Black Radical Congress
* Medea Benjamin - Founding Director, Global Exchange
* Julie Padilla - Candidate for Sacramento City Council
Endorsed By (Partial List)
* The CA State Conference of the NAACP
* Sacramento Central Labor Council
* Alliance for Democracy
* Center for Voting and Democracy
* Rainforest Action Network
* Independent Progressive Politics Network
* Black Radical Congress
* Corporate Watch
* Bay Area Natl. Lawyers Guild
* Sacramentans for Int. Labor Rights
* CA Students Against Sweatshops
* Global Exchange
"I have ever considered the constitutional mode of election ultimately by the Legislature voting by States as the most dangerous blot in our Constitution, and one which some unlucky chance will some day hit and give us a pope and antipope." --Thomas Jefferson (Letter to George Hay, 1823)
Let the Electoral College Know We Want Democracy Now! -- Clean It! Fix It! Build It!
Rally and Press Conference
Monday December 18th at the Capitol Building in Sacramento 12-2pm
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, discrimination against black voters, 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, enforcement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, proportional representation and instant run-off voting, 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 common sense 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 system's flaws and to demand a more truly democratic political system.
We call for:
* 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.
* 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.
* An end to racial discrimination at the polls. As the vote in Florida demonstrated, the intimidation and disenfranchisement of minority communities persist with vigor. We call for a thorough investigation by the Justice Department of the allegations of voter discrimination on and around 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 citizens' constitutional voting rights and must be repealed.
* 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.
* Make voting easier. Many citizens are discouraged from voting by unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. Although most people don't 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.
* 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.
Speakers (Partial List)
* Ted Frazier - SF NAACP
* Ruth Holbrook - President Sacramento Central Labor Council
* Randy Hayes - Rainforest Action network
* Fran Beal - Black Radical Congress
* Medea Benjamin - Founding Director, Global Exchange
* Julie Padilla - Candidate for Sacramento City Council
Endorsed By (Partial List)
* The CA State Conference of the NAACP
* Sacramento Central Labor Council
* Alliance for Democracy
* Center for Voting and Democracy
* Rainforest Action Network
* Independent Progressive Politics Network
* Black Radical Congress
* Corporate Watch
* Bay Area Natl. Lawyers Guild
* Sacramentans for Int. Labor Rights
* CA Students Against Sweatshops
* Global Exchange
Dont know if I can convince my friends to go to Sacto , or, SF. We may go to state building in Santa Rosa, CA. Anyone else to join us ???
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$210.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network