Voting Rights Reform
The United States has one of the lowest voter turnouts of any modern republic. This lack of voting is due to a lack of automatic voter registration, apathy in the voting process, and barriers to voting. I will fight all three of these head-on.
Automatic Voter Registration
We must implement automatic voter registration. Requiring people to register to vote is a barrier in the voting process. I would advocate for automatic voter registration for all citizens on their 18th birthday. I will propose legislation to expand registration locations and promote same day registration.
Fighting Voter Apathy
I will combat a lack of faith in political institutions by reducing the power of the two-party system. I will push for a constitutional amendment to dissolve congressional districts and move to statewide voting. This would eliminate gerrymandering and would prevent gatekeeping in politics: allowing new thinkers and parties to get a seat at the table.
I will fight to reverse Citizens United and stop the unlimited flow of money in politics. I will also pursue a constitutional amendment that establishes that corporations are not people and limits the power of PACs in elections. I’d also advocate for a framework that limits election spending to the state of the contest. I will push for policies that encourage ranked choice voting so that all candidate preferences are taken into account.
Combating Voter Suppression
Finally, I will fight voter suppression. The obsession over needing up-to-date IDs to vote or not being able to vote via mail are classist. If someone can register to vote and prove their identity, an ID should not be a barrier.
I will advocate to make election day a national (paid) holiday and push for universal access to early and mail-in ballots. Not everyone has the means to vote on election day, and we must make it easier. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Massachusetts has offered citizens the ability to vote by mail in any election. We must expand this right nationwide. We must safeguard ballot drop boxes and vote by mail so everyone feels comfortable voting in a variety of methods.
Power to the People
I will advocate to increase the rights of citizens, restore checks and balances to every part of our government, and rein in elected officials’ power. I will be seeking an array of amendments to protect our rights. Like recalling a governor, we should have the ability to recall the president and their corrupt administration. I will fight for term limits for congress and the senate. I will also fight for stronger requirements for serving one’s nation: loyalty pledges, a ban on stock trading while in office, and cognitive testing.
Finally, like our founding fathers intended, I believe we shouldn’t be beholden to laws that no longer serve us. I support a new framework involving regular constitutional conventions. We should actively be evaluating for the presence and subsequent removal of outdated laws and simplifying the legal system to allow general access. We need to understand where redundant policies impede progress. I am not running to have power, I’m running to restore power to the people.