The Citizen v2.1 blogsite has been up for about a year now. In that time I've run four sample national referenda to illustrate how this tool could engage voters in the policy decisions that affect their lives -- one per quarter. To recap, here are the national-level policies changes that were proposed:
4th Qtr. 2020 -- The Federal budget shall be balanced each year and the national debt repaid by the end of the century.
1st Qtr. 2021 -- The President is elected if (s)he gains 51% of the popular vote. Otherwise, the Electoral College is employed.
2nd Qtr. 2021 -- Article III of the Constitution must be revised to better insulate the Supreme Court from political influences.
3rd Qtr. 2021 -- Proof of citizenship and residency are required to vote in any U. S. jurisdiction.
A common argument against letting voters have a direct voice in national policy is that the masses are too easily moved to act on emotion versus reason. Congress, of course, feels especially threatened by any reduction in their control over public policy. After all, both parties live to gain absolute control.
The enhanced democracy model of government envisioned at Citizen v 2.1 requires that three-fifths of those voting in a referendum on a national policy proposal agree to it. I find it illuminating that only one of the policy proposals considered this past year met that threshold. Only one of these ideas would have become the law of the land. So -- it seems Congress will still have plenty of work to do.
Are you curious about which proposal was successful? Visit Citizen v2.1 to find the answer and while you're there, take a minute to cast your vote on the term limits proposal now being considered.
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