Democracy:

Political Reform

End legalized bribery: PUBLICLY FINANCED CAMPAIGNS

Year after year, big business invests in politicians and political parties by giving them millions of dollars, and in return, those businesses get corporate welfare and tax breaks worth billions of dollars. This must end.

The biggest single obstacle to honest, just government action - government of, by and for the people - is the corruption of special interest money in our election campaigns. No one should have to sell out to big business in order to run a competitive campaign.

Political campaigns should be publicly financed, just like public libraries, parks and schools.

Take back the airwaves: FREE TIME FOR BALLOT-QUALIFIED CANDIDATES

The airwaves belong to the people, not the media corporations. We let them use the airwaves for radio and television broadcasting free of charge year after year, and then they collect hundreds of millions of dollars from political candidates paying for ads. This locks out progressive voices and must end.

There should be some free time on radio and television for all ballot-qualified candidates during election seasons.

Include everyone in elections: SAME DAY VOTER REGISTRATION

Just when most people get excited about politics, in the few weeks before the election, it is too late to register to vote in most states. Millions of people who want to vote are turned away from the polls, simply because they didn't register a month ahead of time. We need election-day voter registration in all 50 states, not just the six states that use it now. Just ask Jesse Ventura, governor of Minnesota. In his own words, he wouldn't have won without same-day registration.

Give voters the information they want: OPEN THE DEBATES

The presidential debates are controlled by the corporate-funded, Democrat- and Republican-controlled Commission on Presidential Debates, which has set arbitrary, unfair rules to exclude third-party candidates and the issues they represent from the televised debates.

We must open the debates to legitimate third-party candidates who are on the ballot in enough states to actually win the election, or those whom a majority of Americans want to see in the debates. Polls show that 64 percent of Americans wanted to see a four-way debate including Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan.

Open up the two-party system: PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

The two major parties, thanks to their addiction to big money, are converging into one corporate party with two heads. This leaves voters who are longing for alternatives without any significant choice on the ballot. This must change.

Every one of us has to stop saying that we are going to surrender to a winner-take-all political system. In our country we need a discussion about proportional representation and we're going to get it. With proportional representation, more votes count. There is greater voter turnout and more citizen interests can participate in government.

Gauge public opinion at the polls: NATIONAL NON-BINDING ADVISORY

We should put forth non-binding referenda on salient issues of the day to be voted on during Election Day.

Make every vote count: INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING

To win a presidential election, a candidate does not need a majority of votes, just a plurality. President Clinton, for instance, earned less than 50 percent of the vote. We should use the Australian system of Instant Runoff to ensure that the election winner earns a majority of votes. Voters get to rank the candidates: 1, 2, 3; if no candidate gets a majority of the votes in the first count, the second choices are then counted until one candidate gets a majority. This liberates voters to choose their favorite candidate, and ignore the cries of "wasted votes" and "spoilers."

When there is no one worth your vote: BINDING NONE OF THE ABOVE OPTION

In so many elections, there is only one major-party name on the ballot, or a choice between two candidates with no significant differences and nothing new to offer voters.

Voters should be able to reject the candidates put forth by choosing None of the Above, and force a new election with new candidates. This binding measure would give voters an escape hatch out of an unsatisfactory election and give the disaffected a chance to shake things up.