RECIPE FOR A REAL DEMOCRACY

Some of the elements of a new-and-improved democracy are happening here and now, while others are on the horizon.

Ranked Choice (Instant Runoff) Voting has been in use in San Francisco and other places in the U.S. for years, and will be implemented in 2010 in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Leandro elections. Voters get to rank their choices 1-2-3 in order of their real preferences, plus avoid costly run-off campaigns.

Proportional Representation allows you to vote for what you want, not the lesser of two evils. For example, in a 5-person district, if your candidate gets 20% of the vote, they would be in the legislature and your views would be represented. As it is now, our two-party winner-take-all system results in districts - whether gerrymandered or not - where up to 49% of the citizens in each district are represented by an elected official they disagree with. More than 70 countries in the world use proportional representation. It's time we upgrade our democracy.

Public Campaign Finance is a way of financing campaigns that reduces  the corrupting influence of lobbyists. Maine and Arizona already have Voluntary Public Campaign Finance, and voters like candidates who run “clean”.

Other elements in the "Recipe for a Real Democracy"

Open debates

Free airtime

Paper ballots, non-programmable voting

Same-day voter registration

Short campaigns

Weekend elections

Abolish Electoral College (use direct elections)

Citizen education

Citizen assemblies

IN SUMMARY...

California can fix the way we make voting and policy decisions, and then we can make our finances reflect our values. By the time elections are over, budgets are already off track. Elected officials reward huge campaign contributors with reduced taxes, increased subsidies, and huge payback contracts. Corporate payments to candidates are actually low-risk, high-reward investments, if not outright bribes.

Green Party candidates do not accept corporate campaign contributions, and when elected, we remain committed to peoples’ values.