A democracy agenda

Our broken democracy excludes and fails to work for too many Americans. Obstacles to registration and voting, inadequate transparency, too much power for wealthy campaign funders, partisan gerrymandering, the gutting of the 1965 Civil Right Act, and widespread voter suppression keep citizens from exercising their right to vote.

In both 2019 and 2021, the For The People Act was passed by the House of Representatives, but defeated in the Senate. The bill’s provisions, listed below, aimed to create a “Democracy Agenda” for the United States.

Voting Rights

  • Restore all provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act

  • Early voting

  • Same day voter registration

  • Automatic voter registration - portable within states

  • Voting rights for former felons

  • A national holiday on Election Day

  • Fundin to states to encourage pre-registration of 16 and 17 year-olds T

  • Absentee ballots - free postage - no excuse needed

  • Expanded vote by mail and on-line registration

  • Restrict state purges of voter rolls

  • Voting assistance for people with disabilities

Money in Politics

  • Overturn Supreme Court decision on Citizens United

  • Create a voluntary small donor public financing choice for Congressional candidates

  • Restrict dark money and overseas lobbying

  • Overhaul the deadlocked Federal Elections Commission with 5 new commissioners

Election Security

  • Enhance election security with grants to states for new voting machines

  • Create laws to prevent hacking of election results

  • Audit all election results

Ethics Reform

  • Presidential and vice-presidential candidates must release 10 years of tax statements

  • Create a Supreme Court code of ethics

Other

  • End partisan gerrymandering of election districts with independent commissions

  • Grant the District of Columbia state status