4.2
Electoral Reform Act of 2012 [4.2]
| Phase I [Implementation in Time for November 2012] | |
| 01 Process | The election process shall reflect the eleven International Election Integrity Principles of Transparency, Chain of Custody, Observer Access, Checks & Balances, Enforcement of Election Laws, Right to Paper Ballot and Open Source Software, Right to Polls and Protection of Poll Workers; Right to Photograph & Videotape; Right to Full Education, Right to Full Disclosure of Numeric Calculations & Assumptions, and Right to Review Raw Data Files at Point of Origin. For the purposes of this Act, hand-marked precinct-based Hand-Counted Paper Ballots (HCPB) shall be the national, state, and local standard until such time as a national referendum validates any alternative solution. |
| 02 Ballot Access | Ballot access requirements shall be the same for every candidate, irrespective of party affiliation. Equal access includes access to debates. This shall also apply to initiatives and referenda, and to primary elections. No state shall be eligible to receive federal funding in any amount or form absent its implementation of this provision in time for 2012 and thereafter. |
| 03 Voting | All national, state, and local elections must use Approval Voting for single-winner contests. Councils and legislatures must use either (1) open party-list proportional representation or (2) a proportional voting method within districts of at least five at-large members. All ballot counting must be done using publicly-witnessed precinct-based Hand-Counted Paper Ballots (HCPB) that are hand-marked. Election Day must be a national holiday and fall on a Wednesday with no adjoining holidays. Columbus Day will be eliminated as an off-set. Every citizen 18 or older, regardless of condition or transient status, must be able to vote easily. Early Voting must be universal. |
| 04 Debates | Each state shall sponsor at least one presidential debate for a total of 50 debates, each state determining the questions, format, and participants. Each state shall sponsor at least one cabinet-level debate among designated individuals, e.g. the Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Defense, etcetera. National debates shall be based on national polls that are open-ended with respect to who voters wish to see and hear participate in such debates. Candidates must participate in all debates to be eligible for free and equal access to public media. |
| 05 Cabinet | Presidential candidates must name individuals to all Cabinet positions at least 90 days prior to Election Day, and those individuals must participate in such debates as the states might organize, and at least one national debate for each of the positions. |
| Phase II [Implementation in Time for November 2014] | |
| 07 Representation | Enact Open Registration. Enact Proportional Representation via the Voting process (03) with full integration of the Electoral Integrity Principles (01). |
| 08 Districts | Gerrymandering is outlawed. It will be replaced by any combination of compact computer drawn districts using open source software and/or citizen wisdom councils selected from jury duty pools, and/or at-large districts. All gerrymanders in progress in 2011 are stopped by this Act and replaced by tightly-drawn districts. An increase of districts to achieve 1:500,000 representation, is also enacted for implementation by 2014. |
| 09 Funding | Political campaign committees are made illegal and lose their public charters. Corporations are prohibited from contributing in any form including individual contributions from employees to any political campaign. Issue advocacy and advertising are not tax-deductible. Air time and media print space for all candidates is free and equal. |
| 10 Legislation | All proposed legislation without exception be published on line, normally one month prior to vote but no less than 24-72 hours for emergencies, to include explicit geospatial pointers for all “earmarks” each of which must be publicly announced |
| 11 Constitutional Amendment | Congress shall work toward a Constitutional Amendment that places Election Integrity outside the power of the government. That amendment, whose terms shall be formulated via the National Initiative for Democracy (National Ballot Initiatives). It might include but not be limited to such initiatives as:
01 Elimination of personhood for any organization 02 Enactment of Statehood for the District of Columbia 03 Abolishment of the Electoral College 04 Balanced Budget 05 Termination of the Federal Reserve 07 Constraint on size and budget of the US Government 06 Re-enfranchises convicts who complete their sentences |