But we can’t.
While we’re still a democracy, before it’s too late, we need to grow the power of every citizen to vote.
Over our 200 plus years as a country, we have increasingly given the vote to more and more citizens. We abolished owning property as a precursor to voting. We added Black Americans (through laws from 1866 to 1870, strengthened by the Civil Rights Acts of 1965), women in 1920, Native Americans in 1962 and the young (18 to 21 years old) in 1971. In 1914, for the first time, all U.S. senators became directly elected.
Still we have a long way to go to make each citizen’s voice heard and count—and in that way make politicians accountable.
Here’s my six-step plan to do that.
Step 1. Count every vote. Every citizen needs to understand the rules affecting their state and ensure they meet local requirements when they vote. Then we need to hold the feet to the fire of every county election official, every state secretary of state or comparable official, and the U.S. government to ensure that every valid vote is counted.
But that’s only the beginning for long term accountability by empowering our citizens. And none of it requires a change to the Constitution.
Step 2. Make Puerto Rico a state and allow its 3.2 million American citizens true representation in Congress and the right to select our president. After all, Iowa and 17 others states have a smaller population than Puerto Rico. While you’re at, give statehood to the District of Columbia. At 720,000 residents, it’s about the same population as Alaska and larger than Vermont and Wyoming. Why should millions of Americans have no voting rights about their fate? This move is largely up to Congress and the President. If Democrats win the presidency and the Senate, they should do it. (By the way, for those of you who want to break states up, that’s a bit more challenging. The Admission to the Union Clause in the Constitution prohibits states from subdividing without the agreement of all other states.)
Step 3. Expand the House of Representatives. The size of the house was fixed at 435 by the Reapportionment Act of 1929. A new law could increase the size to make congressional districts smaller. By the very act of doing this, it would make the House more representative while also increasing the size of the Electoral College. This would lessen the disparity between small and large states’ impact on the Electoral College.
Step 4. Push your state legislatures and governors to enroll in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. While a move to a direct popular vote requires a constitutional amendment, the compact is a much simpler solution. It is simply an agreement among states that they will award their electoral votes to the popular vote winner, regardless of results within that state. It goes into effect once states representing a majority of electoral votes sign on. Remember that two of the last three presidents were elected even though they had fewer votes. Doesn’t seem very consistent with democracy.
Step 5. Draft and pass a new national voter’s right act. We should seek ways to encourage voting and to eliminate widely varying barriers from state to state. If such vote suppressing gameplay is used against someone this time, it may be used against you in the future.
Step 6. Vote. Vote as if your live counts on it. Vote to get rid of politicians who routinely lie to you. Vote to get rid of politicians who feather their own beds instead of looking out for the public interest. Just vote.
And you know what. There’s no need to wait for all my recommendations to happen. Vote this year. Do it as soon as possible. Be aware of the rules in your state. Be sure your vote is counted.
Because if you’re tired of politicians whose word means nothing, you have to show them at least that you care and are paying attention. Without that, you’re just giving up.
Please check out all my novels in paperback or Kindle format, including: Tales from the Loon Town Cafe, The Finnish Girl, The Devil’s Analyst—and my latest, The Long Table Dinner.
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