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writing for godot

Sick to death of Republicans vs Democrats? Want to end two party rule?

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Written by maro   
Thursday, 13 October 2016 04:56

*For those on the right insert your own heroes, read, steal, spread.

Dear * Michael Moore, Bernie Sanders, Ralph Nader, Jill Stein, Matt Taibbe, Glenn Greenwald, Robert Reich, Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeanine Garafollo, Thom Hartman, Ed Shultz, Randy Rhodes, Stephanie Miller, MoveOn.org, Black Lives Matter, Code Pink, Occupy Et Al…

Now is the time to examine our current strategy in the Hunger Games we like to call elections. These recent primaries have brought into focus the problem that we the people have understood for a long time. We have a two party/media corporatocracy. We need and long for alternative voices.

Current Grass Roots Strategy:

  • Present the problem
  • Offer a candidate into the rigged system
  • Rinse and repeat with bigger madder crowds.
Circling the Two Party Grass Roots Drain

Image of a circle of problems

 

Now that alternative candidates are drawing huge crowds it would be the perfect opportunity to present the winning idea that we can change the rigged system, not just point it out.

Ranked Choice Voting must be the NEXT big fight.

You are people I respect but when some of you discuss a third party you inevitably ask the wrong questions;
Should we have a third party?
Should we vote for the third party?

The responses quickly devolve into two arguments— the lesser of two evils vs voting ones' conscience.  A simplistic and vicious spoiler vs sellout team sport.

The question we should be asking is why we allow this impossible situation to continue when we have the power to change it?

We need to restore legitimate majority rule. This presidential election will allow one of the candidates to enter the White House with the appearance of a mandate, yet polls show that they are both disliked.

Ranked Choice Voting lays the ground work for multiple parties and an end to the status quo.

Ranked Choice Video

Grass roots movements continue to grow and produce candidates that want to change policies outside of the two party corporate agenda, yet little energy is spent fixing the flawed way we conduct our elections. We have drives to get out the vote and to registering more voters but when it comes to the ballot and how those ballots are counted, a fog of apathy seems to engulf our movement.

We have the power to change that system state by state yet it is never discussed—Jill Stein is the only candidate that seems to know what Ranked Choice Voting is.

If we had Ranked Choice Voting Ralph Nader —a man who has fought for us his whole life— would not have been accused of being a spoiler. Instead, he would have been many peoples' first choice vote.

Bernie you could/would have run as an Independent and been many peoples' first choice vote.

Why, in all the years of political well meaning candidates and groups did not lay this essential foundation for multiple parties stumps me utterly.  Ralph you went state by state to get on the ballot when instead you could have gone state by state educating people on Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).

States have the legal authority to decide on how they vote and this fight can be won.
Maine —a frequent victim of the spoiler system— has finally had enough and RCV is on the ballot this November.

(Vote Yes on Question 5!)

11 other countries currently vote this way.

This is what the fight for Democracy looks like:

1) Ranked Choice Voting
Force candidates to appeal to a broader swath of the population eliminating the effectiveness of polarizing ideologies and negative campaigning.

2) Free television spots for each candidate.
These are our airwaves. Why should 5 or 6 media companies reap billions of dollars by turning our elections into a year long reality show?

3) Paper Ballots Hand counted by middle school students as a civics lesson (6th grade is ideal in my opinion)
Computerized vote counting is unverifiable on so many levels, and people are catching on: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/37486-the-shocking-truth-about-election-rigging-in-america

4) Elections should be paid holidays or held on existing ones
We still celebrate Columbus 'discovering' America but don't celebrate our right to vote by making election day a holiday?

In closing, I am done waiting for someone smarter to bring this up. I am posting this in the hopes that some of our great minds will know what to do to get it done.

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