This election cycle exhibits the endless problems with our current election system. This system, as presently organized, is an obstacle course that restricts independent and third-party candidates, maintains the spoiler message and promotes lawfare. The lawfare, the lack of transparency and the hyper-politicization of the electoral process ultimately undermines public trust. This leaves voters uncertain if their votes were properly counted and if their votes matter. As a result, a perception and to some extent, a reality of mass disenfranchisement precipitates. To restore confidence, we need a federal election system that is free, fair, accessible and standardized.
A Voters’ Bill of Rights provides a comprehensive framework to address these issues and create an election system that is transparent, accountable, and truly representative of the people. Our fundamental right to vote has been eroded.
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Right to Fair Districts
Citizens deserve fair representation, not districts engineered to entrench the political power of the status quo. We must develop a system that supports the manifest interests of voters by allowing independent commissions to draw district borders instead of politicians, thereby ensuring transparency in redistricting processes. Such a system should also support proportional representation and safeguard voter-led ballot initiatives aimed at creating fairer, more competitive districts. -
Verifiable Voting Process
Transparency is essential to electoral integrity. The Voters’ Bill of Rights establishes a verifiable election process that mandates citizen poll-watching, open-sourced electronic voting machines, and accurate, publicly available voter registration data. It also requires the supervision of voter roll purges, provides a paper trail for all ballots, and guarantees access to those ballots in contested outcomes. Provisions for affordable, standardized recounts ensure that no voter is left out of the process. -
Voter Access
Every American has the right to vote without facing undue barriers. The Voters’ Bill of Rights eliminates fees for obtaining IDs or the underlying documents required to vote. It also restores civil rights to those who have served their time, guarantees the right to request absentee ballots regardless of circumstances, and promotes efficient registration and safe mail-in voting procedures. These reforms ensure that all citizens, regardless of their situation, can participate fully in our democracy.
Conclusion
Democracy is more than a perception of fairness, it must be a process of clearly defined, openly auditable and explicitly functional processes. These processes must be designed to ensure an objective system that guarantees a full redress of the public grievances through the ballot box. Such a system must be free from in-built biases, corruptibility and discrimination based on a reasonable understanding of personal circumstance.
If such a system is implemented, voter engagement will increase as a result of systemic trust building between the electorate and those responsible for ensuring free and fair elections
