Road to Freedom Part Two

 Citizen Lawmakers

How do we achieve our objectives?

 Advisory Initiatives, Referendums, and Recalls

 In order to achieve our objective, we propose to create a telephone and Internet voting system that will be accessible to every city, county, and state in the Union.  The purpose of this network will be to conduct advisory initiatives, referendums, and recalls; and, thereby, inform our representatives of the true will of the people.

Through this voting process, America will once again become a laboratory for democracy; and democracy will once again become an educational institution by which we will inform the American people about how the initiative, referendum, and recall process works and, at the same time,  provide the means by which we the people can participate directly in the political process and become citizen lawmakers.

 A Popular Assembly and Proportional Representation

At the core of our organizational structure will be a popular assembly for each unit of government that our organizational structure reflects: i.e., the city, county, state, and national government.  The representatives of the popular assemblies will be chosen through a proportional representative election process, and the sole power of the representatives elected through this process will be to introduce advisory initiatives, referendums, and recalls to be voted on by the general membership.  Our proportional representative system works like a proxy vote system where each representative can only vote the number of votes that they received in the general election.

This process will be particularly effective in the 24 states that have made the initiative, referendum, and recall, in one form or another, a part of their governing process.  Critics of the initiative, referendum, and recall process often criticize it as being dominated by special interest groups and not being representative of true grassroots movements. In these states, our popular assembly will be a remedy for many of the shortcomings of the process by becoming the source of popular based, grassroots petitions approved by the appropriate popular assembly for each unit of government.  

It should be noted that we view proportional representation and popular assemblies as experimental models in our laboratory for democracy.  We have a great deal of research on the initiative, referendum, and recall process in this country, but we have very little experience with proportional representation in the United States.  In addition, we have very little experience with popular assemblies beyond the town meetings of New England.  Given modern communications technology, we are interested in how far we can take the concept of the popular assembly beyond the town meeting to the state level and beyond.

Proportional representation and popular assemblies should not be viewed as a threat to the representative bodies that our popular assemblies mirror.  On the contrary, it should be viewed as a resource for information, feedback, and guidance to determine how well they are reflecting the priorities and needs of their constituents.  Our system is their system because the representative bodies that mirror our popular assemblies will be given the right to use our Internet and telephone voting system to introduce indirect advisory referendums to be voting on by the general public.  For example, if the City Council of Ithaca, New York is considering a new law, and a majority of the council vote for an advisory indirect referendum, they can then use our system to refer that proposed law to the people to see if they approve of the proposed law.

An Information Base for an Informed Public

Our Internet and telephone voting system in conjunction with direct mail and our forums for debate will form a communications network that will provide the informational resources for an informed public.  The following are several examples of how the network will work.  One, when an advisory initiative, referendum, or recall is submitted to the public, we will send by mail or through the Internet a pamphlet that will explain the proposition and provide the reader with the arguments for the proposition presented by the sponsors of the proposition and the arguments against the proposition as presented by the leading opposition.  Two, with our Internet voting system and web site we will be able to link the voter to informational and educational resources, discussion groups, and debate forums for the public at large.  Three, at the core of this network is the popular assemblies that provide the passion for freedom that motivates the movement and provides real life debate forums from which broad based, grassroots committees will form to study critical issues and formulate advisory initiatives, referendums, and recalls.

 So as to ensure the nonpartisanship of our information and communication network, a five member Public Information Committee will be elected by the popular assembly for each political unit.  The five candidates who receive the most votes will be selected from the list of candidates, and they will have an equal vote on the committee so as to ensure a broad spectrum of viewpoints.

A Laboratory for Democracy and Technology

As a model for democratic reform and a laboratory for democracy, we can become a major resource for research on the initiative, referendum, and recall process and a leading edge experimenter in telephone and Internet voting technology.  For example, not only is our telephone and Internet voting system a voting and communications network; but it is also a research instrument with which we can conduct surveys that would aid us in bringing together data on voting patterns and feedback on how successful we have been in achieving our objectives.  With this network, we will also be able to conduct opinion polls and surveys to determine what are the issues that most concern the American people; and, through our informational and communications resources, we can work to turn those opinions and concerns into a fact based knowledge of the problems we face and the options available to us; or; at least, we will be able to clarify the issues enough so that we have a rational point of focus for debate.  Finally, it should be noted that we will not only be a model for democratic reform and a laboratory for democracy; but we will also be experimenters in leading edge voting technology. We will be providing the working models to further research in this field; and we will be answering critical questions about this technology based on the criteria that we establish further on in our proposal.  Having said this, let us now go on to a more detailed explanation of the initiative, referendum, and recall process and how it will work in relationship to our objectives.

How do we define an initiative, referendum, and recall?

 In general terms, an initiative is an instrument by which a citizen or citizen group can introduce legislation to be voted on by the electorate; and if the voters approve the initiative, it becomes law.  There are two types of referendums, a direct and an indirect referendum.  In a direct referendum when a citizen or citizen group disapprove of a law passed by the local, state, or national legislative body; they can introduce a referendum to be voted on by the electorate.  If the electorate approves the referendum, the law is repealed.  An indirect referendum, on the other hand, is the means by which the legislators by a majority vote can refer a bill to the general electorate to be voted on and confirmed.  The recall is a democratic means by which we can make elected officials continually accountable to the electorate.  If a citizen or citizen group are convinced that an elected official has not been representative of the people’s will or that the elected official is unfit for office, they can introduce a recall of that official; and if the electorate approve the recall, the elected official is dismissed from his or her elected position.

 This is the type of binding initiative, referendum, and recall that we support; and as an organization, we will work for constitutional amendments that will make the initiative, referendum, and recall a fundamental part of the political process in every city, county, and state with the ultimate goal of crowning the system with a national initiative, referendum, and recall process, thereby, reaffirming the sovereign power of the American people.

 We should note here that what we mean by a binding initiative, referendum, and recall is an initiative, referendum, and recall that becomes law with the approval of the voters, and the law cannot be changed except through another initiative or referendum.  However, since we do not have an initiative, referendum, or recall in one form or another in 28 states, nor do we have a national initiative, referendum, or recall; we need to educate and inform the voters in these states about what it means to be a citizen lawmaker. We propose to do this by having the voters actually participate in an advisory initiative, referendum, and recall process that will be a clear statement of the will of the people; and, at the same time, be a model for the type of binding initiative, referendum, and recall process that we support for adoption as the law of the land.  Having said this, let us now proceed to a more detailed description of the advisory initiative, referendum, and recall process that we will implement as an instrument of reform.

What are the qualifications and requirements for a city, county, and state advisory initiative, referendum, and recall 

In order to place a city, county, or state advisory initiative, referendum, or recall on the ballot, a citizen or citizen group must obtain the signatures on a petition of 5% of the number of votes cast in the last election for the highest elected official in that locality.  If there is not a single highest elected official in that unit of the government, then the citizens or citizen groups must obtain the signatures on a petition of 5% of the number of votes that were cast collectively for all the representatives elected to that unit of government.  On both the local and state levels, if the petition qualifies as a proposition and is approved by a majority of the voters, it passes and becomes an advisory initiative, referendum, or recall.

 What are the qualifications and requirements for a national initiative, referendum, and recall?

In order to place a national initiative, referendum, or recall on the ballot, a citizen or citizen group must obtain the signatures on a petition of 3% of the number of votes cast in the last election for the President of the United States.  In addition, so as to mirror our federal system, the petitioners will also have to obtain the signatures of 3% of the number of votes cast for the President of the United States in each of fifty percent of the states.  If the petition qualifies as a proposition and is approved by fifty percent of the voters in the nation at large, and fifty percent of the voters in each of fifty percent of the states; it passes and becomes an advisory initiative, referendum, or recall.

What are the requirements to qualify an initiative in our popular assembly?

In order for our popular assembly to qualify an advisory initiative, referendum, or recall to be sent to the general membership for approval; a majority of the assembly must vote for it; and that vote must represent a majority of the number of voters that voted for the representative in the appropriate government unit; i.e. the city council, state legislature, or the Congress of the Untied States.  More specifically, if the popular assembly is a city unit, the vote of our popular assembly must represent a majority of the number of votes received by the representative of that local city council; i.e., if the total number of votes for the local representatives of the city council in the last election was 4,000 votes; the proxy vote in our popular assembly would have to total 2001 proxy votes, a number that would represent a majority of the number of voters who voted for all the representatives in the city council.

What are the voting requirements for membership in The Center for True Democracy

To vote as a member of the center a person must simply register with us to vote.  In order to register a person must be at least eighteen years old, a citizen of the United States, and reside within the political unit in which he or she wishes to vote. 

A Pilot Program: The City of Ithaca, New York and Tompkins County

Ithaca, New York is predominately a college town located in a rural setting in the heart of Upstate New York and the Finger Lakes Region.  Traditionally, Cornell University has been the major employer in the region; but, more recently, Ithaca and Tompkins County have seen its economic growth centered on the Cornell University Industrial Park that caters to new technology-oriented companies that take advantage of their association with Cornell and its science faculty to bring new technology to the market.  Tompkins County has had a growth of approximately 2% per year in employment over the last four years, and it is third in the state in population growth.

The city is an interesting anomaly with its cosmopolitan population of students and faculty coming to Ithaca from all over the country and man parts of the world (15.9% of the population of the city is foreign born) to reside in what is essentially a rural county with diary farm, wine vineyards, and farmers who grow corn for feed.  The local tourist industry advertises the gorges and the falls and beautiful Cayuga Lake, but the locals carp about all the rain and the long winters. Statistically, about half the time it is either raining or snowing.

Politically, the voter turnout is higher than most of the cities and counties in New York State. Approximately 50% of the registered voters will turn out to vote in an off-year-election. When looking at the two major parties, the vote has predominately gone to Democratic candidates in the past.  Statistically, there are 28,060 registered Democrats versus 17,676 registered Republicans.  However, it is our contention that the party breakdown of politics in a winner-take-all system of voting does not reflect the true will of the people.  From the many studies of the initiative, referendum, and recall process, it is clear that when we, the American people, take on issues one by one; we are neither Democrats nor Republicans, liberals or conservatives.  On some issues we are liberal and on others we are conservative and on other issues we may be at the extremes of the political spectrum; but in no instances can we be reduced to the simple minded choices of a winner-take-all two party system.

With the implementation of an advisory initiative, referendum, and recall process and a popular assembly where the representatives are selected through a proportional representation election; Ithaca and Tompkins County will more truly reflect the will of the people, and that consensus will include the substantial number of people who support third party issues and vote for third party candidates.  Statistically, in Tompkins County there are 2,023 registered voters in the Independent Party, 1,367 registered voters in the Green Party, 386 registered voters in the Conservative Party, 427 registered voters in the Liberal Party, 142 registered voters in the Right to Life Party, 154 registered voters in the Working Families Party, and 20 registered voters in the Libertarian Party.

The following is a summary of the demographics of Ithaca and Tompkins County, but it should be noted here that we are starting this movement in Ithaca and Tompkins County because it just happens to be the place where we live and can walk out of our door and knock on our neighbors’ doors and ask them what they think about democracy and citizen lawmaking.  The fact of the matter is that The Center for True Democracy is organized so that it can start anywhere in any place and network into a national movement.

 Demographics of Ithaca, New York

As of the census of 2000, there are 19,287 people, 10,287 households, and 2,962 families residing in the city.  The population density is 5,360 people per square mile.  There are 10,736 housing units at an average density of 1,965 units per square mile.  The racial makeup of the city is 73.97% White, 6.71% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 13.65% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.86% from other races, 3.36% from two or more races, and 5.31% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 10,287 households out of which 14.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 19.0% are married couples living together, 7.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 71.2% are non-families.  43.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older.  The average household size is 2.13 and the average family size is 2.81.

In the city the population is spread out with 9.2% under the age of 18, 53.8% from 18 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 10.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who are 65 years of age or older.  The median age is 22 years.  For every 100 females there are 102.6 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $21,441, and the median income for a family is $42,304.  Males have a median income of $29,562 versus $27,828 for females.  The per capita income for the city is $13,408.  40.2% of the population and 13.5% of the families are below the poverty line.  Out of the total population, 22.4% of those under the age of 18 and 11.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.