Draft GPUS Platform Amendment Political Participation

DRAFT AMENDMENT FOR THE 2010 PLATFORM OF THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES CHAPTER 1: DEMOCRACY Section title: A. Political Participation

Section subtitle: Rebuilding our democracy

Our Position: Greens want to bring more people into civic life.

Greens believe that the most democratic government is the most local one. We prefer local control and direct democracy. We want to devolve power from Washington and state capitals to counties and towns. To achieve genuine citizen participation, citizens must share in the power of governing. We seek to increase the powers of citizens, and of local governing bodies, such as neighborhood boards and associations.

Green Solutions

Empowering citizens

  1. Initiatives and referenda at all levels of government, including federal.  But these tools of democracy should not be for sale to the wealthy who pay for signatures to buy their way onto the ballot. So, we call for a certain percentage of signatures to be gathered by volunteer collectors.

  2. Strict enforcement of our First Amendment rights of speech, assembly, association and petition. Federal, state and local governments must safeguard our right to public, non-violent protest. It is intolerable that law enforcement agencies intimidate lawful protesters with surveillance, repression and retaliation.

  3. Restore full citizenship rights to felons upon completion of their sentence, including the right to vote and to run for elected office, and granting prisoners the right to vote.

  4. The curriculum of later elementary and secondary schools must include a vigorous and engrossing civics curriculum, to teach students to be active citizens. Democracy depends on such citizens; it cannot last without them.

Empowering communities

  1. Establish civilian complaint review boards in every locality with subpoena power and the ability to order the dismissal of police officers who make false arrests and abuse those whom they arrest.

  2. More flexibility by the federal government and states for local decision-making.  However, the federal government must protect the constitutional rights of minorities from infringements by states or localities.

  3. Statehood for the District of Columbia. The residents of D.C. must have the same rights and representation as all other U.S. citizens.

  4. Improve transparency in government by granting lesser bodies such as neighborhood boards and county governments subpoena power over state governments, and give them subpoena power over the U.S. Congress.

  5. Citizens must have the unhindered right to join together as taxpayers, neighbors, ratepayers, consumers and students, to form associations that advocate for the public interest

Election reform

  1. Universal, automatic, permanent voter registration, along with fail-safe voting procedures, so that eligible voters whose names are not on the voter rolls or whose information is out-of-date can correct the rolls and vote on the same day.

  2. An election day holiday and conducting elections over more than one day, to increase voter participation.

  3. Absolute guarantees that every citizen's vote counts, and that all U.S. voting systems -- including electronic ones -- are verifiable, transparent and accurate.

  4. Independent, non-partisan redistricting to maximize the competitiveness of elections, stop partisan gerrymandering, and protect minority rights and representation.  Redistricting should be conducted in public, not behind closed doors.

  5. Include a binding "none of the above" option in every candidate election, to allow voters to reject all candidates for an office and to call for a new election with new candidates to fill the office.