Draft
UN SDG Targets 16.6, 16.7, 10.3 & Target Action Plan #16
16. Make Elections about Each Public Official’s Character and Position on Issues/Actions. Allow Limited Campaign Contributions from Citizens Only and Reform Elections
(Updated January 24, 2020)
Please send proposed additions and recommendations by email to info@peoplenow.org
This plan outlines Actions required to elect honest, caring effective, efficient public officials and provide voter protection and defend the 15th Amendment.
Table of Contents
16.4.2 Develop a panel approved universal, campaign platform
16.4.6 Provide instant runoff voting (IRV) which allows voters to rank their choices
16.4.7 Eliminate gerrymandering
16.4.8 Reduce the length of political election campaigns to two months for incumbents
16.4.9 Eliminate all purely patronage appointments
16.4.11 Provide universal voter registration
16.4.12 Extend election hours and hold elections on weekends and/or holidays
16.4.14 Ensure the security of our voting instruments e.g. via a paper trail
16.4.15 Drastically reduces the money, other resources and time spent on elections
16.4.16 Provide voting representation in Congress for the citizens of the District of Columbia
16.4.17 Consider setting term limits for elected officials
16.4.18 Shift to new models of proportional and semi-proportional voting systems
16.4.21 Assist voters preparing for new voter ID requirements
To elect honest, caring effective, efficient public officials and provide voter protection and defend the 15th Amendment. This work includes providing better voter registration, legislation, policy, and improvements to the electoral system.
16.3.1 Implement Target 16.6.1: Develop effective, accountable and transparent personnel in all levels all areas of government
16.3.2 Implement Target 16.7.1: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-makers at all levels
16.3.3 Implement Target 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard
16.4.1 Implement ways and means to identify, nominate, elect/appoint ethical, honest, capable public servants and correct/remove those who do remain as such, officials, legislators, judges, executives, etc. throughout the government:
16.4.1.1 Who care for the people of the world and whose actions positions on issues promote the general welfare, follow the rule of law and its spirit, protect peoples’ rights, etc.
16.4.1.2 Who help to refine and accomplish as much as possible of the common agenda between now and their next election.
16.4.1.3 Who have character, integrity and common sense i.e. sense of community.
16.4.2 Develop a panel approved universal, campaign platform based on the Actions in the Universal Movement and Strategic Plan for a Peaceful Prosperous, Just, Sustainable World and make it available for all candidates for office and for use in debates.
16.4.3 Set aside as being null and void all the court rulings that helped to establish the wrongful and unlawful theory of corporate constitutional rights and corporate personhood as outlined in The Plan to Set Aside Citizens United and Scores of Other Rulings Without Amending the Constitution. Correct all the injustices caused by these rulings. This will reinstate all the supposedly campaign finance laws struck down by these rulings.
16.4.4 Strictly limit the amount of all direct, indirect and in-kind campaign contributions and allows limited campaign contributions from citizens only by replacing campaign finance laws with legislation that:
16.4.4.1 Requires that only voting age citizens can make direct, indirect or in-kind campaign contributions.
16.4.4.2 Limits total direct, indirect and in-kind campaign contributions to challengers by each individual donating to no more than $250 per election campaign (primary and general elections total $500) and $100 for runoff elections with no limits on donated labor as long as the donor is not reimbursed directly or indirectly for the labor.
16.4.4.3 Limits total direct, indirect and in-kind campaign contributions by challengers to one fourth of the annual salary of the position the challenger is seeking with no limits on his donated labor.
16.4.4.4 Limits total direct, indirect and in-kind campaign contributions to incumbents by each individual donating to no more than $125 per election campaign (primary and general elections total $250) and $50 for runoff elections with total limits on contributions and donated labor to be determined.
16.4.5 Amend the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College and elect the President by national popular vote. See Fair Vote (http://www.fairvote.org/national-popular-vote) and similar proposals and other, similar web sites for more details.
16.4.6 Provide instant runoff voting (IRV) which allows voters to rank their choices. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote – over 50% - then the lowest number of first place votes is eliminated and the second place votes are counted. This continues until a candidate secures a majority.
16.4.7 Eliminate gerrymandering. Institute automated redistricting that is non-partisan and takes into account geographic organizing by people in contiguous logical divisions (see www.fixthelines.com)
16.4.8 Reduce the length of political election campaigns to two months for incumbents.
16.4.9 Eliminate all purely patronage appointments.
16.4.10 Loosen third party ballot restrictions and provide uniform, fair ballot access for all candidates.
16.4.11 Provide universal voter registration.
16.4.12 Extend election hours and hold elections on weekends and/or holidays.
16.4.13 Provide media access for third party contenders to include broadcast time on public airwaves and inclusion in debates.
16.4.14 Ensure the security of our voting instruments e.g. via a paper trail or some better method. Six years since the Florida debacle should have provided secure voting machines. Electronic machines subject to manipulation are not the answer.
16.4.15 Drastically reduces the money, other resources and time spent on elections. Consider strict limits on the maximum amounts raised (including self donations and individuals contributions limits forbidding incumbents from not allowing contributions to the necessity for Public Campaign Financing - It costs the country more now under the current system that forces candidates to raise exorbitant sums of money from corporate and private donors (read: elitists). The winner is then beholden to the group of financiers that paid for that victory, which creates a corrupt system of pay backs (i.e. no-bid contracts) and legislation (i.e. energy bill subsidizing oil and gas; prescription drug bill favoring pharmaceutical companies) that raids our Treasury at an enormous cost to the taxpayer - the real owners of our country.
16.4.16 Provide voting representation in Congress for the citizens of the District of Columbia by Statehood for Washington DC.
16.4.17 Consider setting term limits for elected officials.
16.4.18 Shift to new models of proportional and semi-proportional voting systems that scrap the winner-take-all method of voting and incorporate for instance commutative voting and limited voting that have been proven to boosted turnout, increased minority representation, created more issue oriented policy discourse, reduced negative campaigning and unified communities. Read more Steven Hill’s book, “Fixing Elections: The Failure of America’s Winner Take All Politics”.
16.4.19 Recruit and encourage citizens to run for office as so that we have citizen lawmakers rather than career politicians. The longer incumbents from the two larger parties serve in office, the further removed from the will of the constituency. As we have seen over and over again, they have proven themselves incapable of solving the complex issues of war, health care, environment, education, immigration, trade, net neutrality, etc.
16.4.20 Consider Common Cause’s broad goals for overhauling the nation’s system of voting as outlined on their website:
Their approach begins with “Since the electoral meltdown in the 2000 presidential election, each Election Day has raised new alarms that the foundation of our democracy - the right to vote in free and fair elections - remains beset with problems. Years after serious problems were exposed to the public, it has become increasingly apparent that our elections system is technologically, legally, and administratively inadequate and unfair.” Read more.
16.4.21 Assist voters preparing for new voter ID requirements by:
16.4.21.1 Creating a new diverse, engaged working group organized nationwide by zip code. Ideally this group would consist of those most affected such as communities of color, youth, disability, low-income seniors, women, and transgendered groups.
16.4.21.2 Developing relations with elected officials and government agencies especially social service agencies, service providers, legal services, local bar associations, poverty groups and homeless shelters.
16.4.21.3 Identifying sources of internet access to help obtain required underlying documents like birth certificates.
16.4.21.4 Seeking sources to offset costs of obtaining ID that is rarely free especially passports, birth certificates and naturalization papers.
16.4.21.5 Identifying impacted voters well in advance of Election Day.
16.4.21.6 Allow postmen to register voters and/or facilitate transportation to voter registration sites at free or reduced transit.
16.4.21.7 Follow-up to ensure they vote.
Why we need to elect honest, capable public servants who care for the people of the world.
It is well known that the two larger political parties avoid major issues by taking reactionary and jingoistic public positions rather than those that the general public wants to address. This is the design of campaign managers to who follow the mantra that “less is more”. Instead they will focus on distraction issues like the War on Drugs, Voter Fraud, or a variety of Victimless Crimes. They favor the Prison-Industrial, Health-Industrial and Military-Industrial complexes because these are their primary sources for campaign contributions.
Take one of the most fundamental issues like economics or monetary policy or rebuilding the infrastructure of our cities. The voters know that these would be job creating solutions, yet they are largely ignored. Voters know that restructuring the economic system by spreading the abundance of resources created by automation, artificial intelligence, advanced nano-technologies, robotics, etc would solve most of the necessities issues by housing, feeding and clothing those in need.
The reason these are not done is due to the systematic institutional resistence to change, and the dishonesty of politically correct nominees.