This message contains exciting information, of which all progressives need to be aware.

Congressman Jessie Jackson Jr. has introduced two of possibly the most important bills for progressives throughout the United States. The first is HR 5293, the Majority Vote Act, which requires instant runoff voting for all general elections for federal offices by 2008. The second is HJR 109, which is a constitutional admendment that mandates direct election of the president with a majority requirement.

These bills were only recently introduced; so Thomas, at the Library of Congress, is reporting that the full text has not yet been received from the Government Printing Office; and I was unable to locate the text on the GPO's website. As soon as the text is available, we need to take action to ensure that these bills get passed, assuming that the text checks out.

HR 5293 currently has no co-sponsors, but HJR 109 already has 4 co-sponsors! We need as many co-sponsors as possible on these bills; so you should contact your Congressman, and ask them to co-sponsor these bills. If you're so inclined, fully educate yourself about these issues; and ask to meet with your Congressman. You may have a better chance of earning their support.

Progressives should also write letters to their local newspapers supporting these bills.

Press releses, regarding these bills, from the Center for Voting and Democracy, follow.

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Rep. Jackson introduces IRV bill
October 8, 2004

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., today introduced H.R. 5293, the Majority Vote Act of 2004 that would require States by 2008 to conduct general elections for Federal office using an instant runoff voting system. It also directs the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States to defray the costs of administering such systems. The law would be applied to all federal elections in the States and include the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands.

Jackson said, "The term `instant runoff voting system' means a system for the election of candidates under which `runoff counts' of candidates are conducted in rounds. Voters vote by ranking candidates on the ballot according to the order of their preference. If in any round no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the candidate with the fewest number of votes is eliminated and the remaining candidates advance to the next round. In each round a voter shall be considered to have cast one vote for the candidate the voter ranked highest on the ballot that has not been eliminated. The runoff counts are carried out automatically at the time the votes are cast and tabulated so there is no actual second election. A candidate is elected only when they reach 50 percent plus one.

"For example in Florida in 2000 under the instant runoff system voters would have cast their vote by ranking the candidates in the order of their choice from among Al Gore, George Bush, Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan. In this instance Pat Buchanan finished last so he would be eliminated but his voters' second choice would be added to the totals of the other candidates. The same procedure would have been applied to the candidates with the next fewest votes, in this instance Ralph Nader. This process would continue until one of the candidates received 50 percent plus one of the votes.

"Instant runoff voting insures that a candidate is elected by a majority of voters and provides the winner with a mandate to govern. Instant runoff voting prohibits voting for a candidate who has policies and programs with which you agree resulting in the election of a candidate who has policies and programs with which you disagree. The simple plurality winner system used in most general elections today creates an incentive for candidates to engage in negative campaigning. Instant runoff voting encourages candidates to engage in positive campaigning in order to receive a higher ranking from their opponents' supporters. Instant runoff voting is used in Utah Republican Party primaries, Ireland, Australia and London," Jackson concluded.

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Rep. Jackson's Electoral College Reform
October 8, 2004

JACKSON: END ELECTORAL COLLEGE & ELECT PRES/VP DIRECTLY

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., today introduced legislation, House Joint Resolution 109, which would add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution eliminating the Electoral College and allowing the American people to directly elect their President and Vice President. Jackson stated, "It's time the American people did to the election of their President and Vice President what they did by adding the 17th Amendment with respect to U.S. Senators - let the American people elect them directly instead of having state legislatures select them for us. Similarly it's time the American people, our republican form of government and our representative democracy were allowed to elect their President and Vice President directly instead of indirectly through the Electoral College.

Part of the rationale for establishing the Electoral College in the first place was to make sure that the slaving-owning southern states would have disproportionate power and, therefore, a disproportionate say over who would be elected President and Vice President and, therefore, be able to preserve their peculiar institution. The American people understand democracy and are fully mature democrats. It's time to end the paternalism of the Electoral College.

"H.J. Res. 109 respects, values and trusts the American people with direct democracy in a republican or representative form of government. H.J. Res. 109 also respects the principle of one person one-vote. Finally, it respects and affirms the democratic principle of majority rule." The amendment contains the following provisions:

Section 1. The President and Vice President shall be elected jointly by the direct vote of the citizens of the United States, without regard to whether the citizens are residents of a State.

Section 2. The persons having the greatest number of votes for President and Vice President shall be elected, so long as such persons have a majority of the votes cast.

Section 3. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article through appropriate legislation.

Section 4. This article shall apply with respect to any election for President and Vice President held after the expiration of the 1-year period which begins on the date of the ratification of this article.

Congressman Jackson concluded, "I will reintroduce this legislation in every future Congress to which I am elected.".

*Find more on the status of this bill at www.house.gov or at thomas.loc.gov (Bill Number: HJR 109)