"Citizens Right to Choose My Congress Act" and a "Voice"

By Rich Stevenson

1. Instant Runoff Voting for Clean, Competitive Elections
2. Low Power Radio to Give Citizens a Voice in Politics

"Citizens Right to Choose My Congress Act" & "Citizens Right to Choose the President" Resolution

The Congress, under the US Constitution, Article I, Section 4., has the authority to make law to alter state Regulations for holding elections of Senators and Representatives to the US Congress:

Section. 4. The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

Rich will propose legislation to elect all Senators and Representatives by Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in every State. When passed, the Citizens Right to Choose My Congress Act, will give each citizen the right to cast a ranked vote for each person on his/her ballot for US Senator and US Representative. Under Instant Runoff Voting, each Congressperson elected will have to win with a majority of the votes cast in the last instant runoff vote counted. Thereby, all Congresspersons would be elected with a majority of the votes cast. All citizens would have a better chance to be represented in Congress.

Rich: The change to an IRV voting system for Congress under our Constitution would do more to make good government reforms possible than any other single political reform. Voter choices and preferences would be fully expressed. Instant runoff voting would poll voters in the voting booth where their choices count and their many preferences would be voiced for all to hear. The true intentions of voters would be known rather than hearing mere spin, the "newsworthy story," created by the various media talking heads. Truth would be served, not media broadcast interests.

With more ballot choices voter turnout would increase. Boring, no difference, bipartisan two-party monopoly choices give people no incentive to vote. Both bipartisan parties are owned by the same special interests. Mere humans have little reason to think their vote might count in a bipartisan election.

John Anderson ran for President in 1980 as an Independent. He had been a Republican congressman. Just before the election he was polling 26%. I voted for Ronald Reagan, a vote I now regret, because I voted against "big government" and Jimmy Carter. I thought John Anderson was the best candidate by far, but I didn't want to "waste my vote."

Anderson ended up with only 8% of the vote instead of a possible victory for himself and the American people. The "one party with two heads" did not get the message of discontent with the bipartisan two-party system. Some people, like me, call bipartisan politics the two-party monopoly or "dictatorship."

If that election had used "instant runoff voting" I could have voted for John Anderson and Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter and any other candidate on the ballot in numerical succession. The whole country would have known that I preferred John Anderson above all the other candidates. If John Anderson had not won with a majority in the first runoff round, my vote for Ronald Reagan would have counted in the second round of the instant runoff.

My 1992 instant runoff vote would have been Ross Perot, 1. My other numbers would have gone to the other minor party candidates. John Hagelin, Natural Law Party, was one of them. Lenora Fulani, a Black Woman, was one of them, who I currently admire as an independent leader in the fight for small "d" democracy. Bill Clinton, would have gotten my last voting number. I would not have given George Bush a number. Many more votes would have been cast for non-partisan independent and minor party candidates in a fair election setting with the use of Instant Runoff Voting. Who would have gotten your votes (yes, that is plural) in that election?

In 1996, much the same, Perot, 1. Dole would not have gotten any number from me. Dole lied in February 1996 saying that tobacco was not addictive. He still told the obvious lie to protect his 30-year career campaign contributors, to obtain money for his presidential campaign. Tobacco interests were his priority.

In the year 2000, my votes would have been John Hagelin, 1; Ralph Nader, 2; Harry Browne, 3; no votes for pro-life ultra conservatives like Pat Buchanan, who also is a thief who stole $12.6 million from the real Reform Party; Al Gore, 4; and no vote for King George II, the man who would learn to speak English while occupying the office of President.

Closer to our home, in 2000 my District One votes would have been Rich Stevenson, 1; David Groshoff, 2; John Cranley, 3 (only to enforce term limits; he did not allow minor parties to debate, etc.); and no vote for Steve Chabot, who was running for his fourth term, the 4th time. I am told Chabot once indicated he would only serve three terms (in the Contract for America). Regardless, I think six years is long enough for anyone to serve in the office of Representative to Congress.

How would you vote if you had the luxury of more than one vote in each and every Congressional election? I wish I had more choices and when I go to Congress I will fight to introduce and pass legislation to have "Instant Runoff Voting" used to elect all US Senators and Representatives to the US Congress. As indicated above, I would sponsor legislation appropriately entitled "The Citizens Right to Choose My Congress Act."

Voters would have many votes to choose Congressional leaders who effect every aspect of their lives. We could have a democratic republic, a government that serves everyone equally. "A government of, by and for the people."

A Note on Presidential Elections: Electing the President is a different problem. There is no authority in the Constitution for the Congress to regulate State legislative actions to govern the Election of Presidents. However, a sense of the Congress could be passed that endorsed the assignment of Electoral Votes according to the popular vote for President in each state. The National Governor's Association could pass a similar resolution. Proportional assignment of Electoral Votes under State law in every state may be the easiest path to establish a "Citizens Right to Choose the President" by popular vote. Laws to assign Electoral Votes in proportion to the popular vote would have to be passed state by state in each state legislature. Florida and Ohio would be a good place to start.

I Pledge to be Self Term-Limited to Two Terms in Office: Four Years

RICH STEVENSON, dist1oh@aol.com http://www.geocities.com/dist1oh/rich/index310.html

2. Low Power Radio "A Media Voice for Americans Act"

This issue needs to be updated to reflect the latest news on the bills in Congress that are pending or that have become law. Have powerful corporate interests already overturned enabling legislation for low power radio? The fight has been festering for at least a year.

Radio and television licenses for 100W to 200W broadcast stations is the subject. They could be used politically to give a voice to independent and minor parties as well as communities. The big Radio and TV station owners, the corporations, are trying to ban low power Radio and TV because they claim it interferes with their broadcasts. Democracy would be served by low power radio/TV and I want to be in congress to protect the rights of citizens to operate this new class of broadcast stations.

Opposition Motivation: The real corporate objection is the legitimate fear of losing advertising revenues if you (the public) spend your time not listening to or watching their commercial stations. Congress persons are afraid they will lose campaign contributions. Low power broadcasts do not interfere with commercial broadcasts, but they are likely to interfere with their bottom lines. The number of consumer hours reported by the Nielson Ratings could drop drastically. The viewer share that is the basis of all commercial media advertising revenue could drop precipitously.

I would also like to see repeal of FCC rulings and law which allows multiple ownership of Radio and TV stations. The drastic decrease in the number of broadcast outlets for free speech, which has taken place over the last several decades is a threat to freedom and democracy in our country.

Our congress is too prone to give away the electromagnetic spectrum to campaign contributors. They are giving away our property without our informed consent.

The new corporate owners then charge the public unreasonable fees for the use of our property. Ownership should stay in public hands and leased only on a very limited basis to corporations for use entirely in the public interest. No private ownership of electromagnetic spectra should ever be allowed.

Newspapers have already become purveyors of entertainment and sports "news" with editorial control by a handful of owners. News reporting is a disappearing art. Print media reporter staffs have been drastically cut back with Associated Press wire stories used to fill up columns once reserved for reporting of solid local and state news stories.

Public broadcast stations could once be trusted as an unbiased source of news. However, corporate funding is gradually taking over control of even that last vestige of editorial freedom.

Radio Free America: We need the diversity of low power radio/TV, and the Internet. We need to keep the Internet totally free, with no commercial or corporate interests allowed to participate. Each citizen can help support the Internet as our "Radio Free America" to help keep our country free.

New Law: We need low power radio and TV to compete with the corporate media monopoly supported by the bipartisan political system. A free press is necessary to maintain freedom. We need to publicly finance public Radio and Television networks fully like we did just a few decades ago. Our freedom in the coming generations hangs in the balance. We could pass the "A Media Voice for Americans Act" to direct the FCC to license 100W to 200W radio and TV stations to private individual broadcasters.

I Pledge to be Self Term-Limited to Two Terms in Office: Four Years

RICH STEVENSON, dist1oh@aol.com http://www.geocities.com/dist1oh/rich/index321.html