“That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part.” - Thomas Jefferson
As the beating heart of American ideals since the country's inception, New England and its surrounding partners maintain their fierce commitment and loyalty to democracy as the soul of who we are as a people. We assert everyone's right to not just be and belong in a country, but to participate in its governance. We reject the march towards authoritarianism accepted by the two major parties and the recent fascist tendencies of the Republican Party. We believe that democratic institutions need to be more accessible and transparent to the public, and the way our country is run needs to be communicated effectively to the people we serve. We believe that it is clear that the United States has lost this same commitment to democratic principles; we stand ready to reinstate them in our government if elected.
Right to Democracy
The United States was founded on the idea that the people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that the people have a right to completely reform their government if it fails to protect those rights. Despite the cultural departure of many parts of the United States from this belief, we maintain that a right to democracy is woven into the fabric of our society. We believe that this right must be exercised, fought for, and defended at all costs, and we assert that portions of our country have the right to pursue that right outside the Union if the Union fails to adhere to democratic institutions and principles.
We believe that the people of other countries also have a fundamental right to democracy. We condemn any electioneering by the United States government in overseas elections, and we condemn the United States’ past actions to overthrow genuinely elected leaders. We do believe that there are cases in which a military maybe used as a force for good to secure overseas elections, but we believe that the United States, to the present, has abused the privilege of having a powerful military and intelligence agency operating overseas and has wreaked havoc on the international system as a result of their meddling. Our elected officials will not interfere with overseas affairs unless they threaten the peace of the United States or its allies, or if help in stabilizing free and fair elections is sought by the current government of the country in question.
We believe that the people of other countries also have a fundamental right to democracy. We condemn any electioneering by the United States government in overseas elections, and we condemn the United States’ past actions to overthrow genuinely elected leaders. We do believe that there are cases in which a military maybe used as a force for good to secure overseas elections, but we believe that the United States, to the present, has abused the privilege of having a powerful military and intelligence agency operating overseas and has wreaked havoc on the international system as a result of their meddling. Our elected officials will not interfere with overseas affairs unless they threaten the peace of the United States or its allies, or if help in stabilizing free and fair elections is sought by the current government of the country in question.
Equal Districting Processes
In cases where lines are drawn for the purposes of establishing legislative districts, both on the state and national level, we insist that fair processes be used to determine where the lines fall. We will not tolerate gerrymandering for the purposes of political gain by any one party, and we denounce the practice.
Overturning Citizens United
Candidates can only appear on our ballot line if they have refused to accept money from lobbyists or corporate interests. We believe that those interests should not be allowed to offer such exorbitant amounts of money to political candidates in the first place. We believe that Citizens United is equivalent to legalized bribery, and we will not stand for it. We call for the passage of a Constitutional amendment that will effectively overturn the Supreme Court’s decision and reinstate reasonable limits on political campaign contributions.
Trust Busting
Corporations should not be too big to fail. In the 2008 housing market crash, our government decided that the major banks responsible for the crash were too big to fail, and they in turn decided to bail those banks out on the backs of the taxpayers. We deserve better from our government, and we deserve banks and other corporations that will serve responsibly and be held accountable for their actions. We will increase restrictions on the size of any given corporation in a sector to ensure that these failings do not continue into the future. We categorically refute the stance that the Consumer Welfare standard is the only reason to break up a corporation and seek to dismantle many of these industrial and technological goliaths that use their money and reach to bribe politicians and manipulate the public. Corporations are not people - and they will not be allowed free reign to harm the real people of this country any longer.
Right to Speech & Expression
We believe that a right to speech, press, and expression must be much more fiercely protected than it has been under the current federal government. Our elected officials would seek to put an end to the practice of enforcing “free speech zones,” outside of which protesters are not allowed, and would establish strict legal consequences for any member of the government that actively incites violence and hatred against independent and neutral media outlets. Furthermore, our party proposes that we expand the role of the Public Broadcasting System to include full-time news coverage to ensure that at least one national news outlet, mandated to remain neutral on all matters in accordance with the now-defunct Fairness Doctrine, shall present the news in such a way as to allow the audience to draw its own conclusions. We believe that the key to a healthy democracy is a well educated and engaged citizens, and we believe these actions are needed to achieve that end.
Constitutional Convention
While the question of independence is pursued, we will prepare and stand ready to facilitate a Constitutional Convention at such a time that independence is secured.
Instituting Federal Ethics
The federal government has lost all sense of ethical dignity; supreme court justices refuse to recuse themselves from cases where they have a stake in the outcome of the case, the President hires and pardons their immediate family members, and members of Congress blatantly abuse their stations to make money for themselves, above and beyond the significant salary they are paid by taxpayers. We call for the institution of strict federal ethics standards that prohibit these practices and enforce such prohibitions with strong legal action including but not limited to fines, removal from office, and imprisonment. Nobody is above the law, and our elected officials should be held to the highest possible standards.
Ranked-Choice Voting
In our current first-past-the-post system of voting, a 3-way race could result in someone being elected with as little as 34% of the vote, rounded up. This factor generally causes one candidate to be labeled as a “spoiler” in the process, as the presence of the third candidate has in some way “spoiled” the possibility of a second candidate gaining a combined 66% of the vote, toppling the first candidate’s smaller total. Thus, this system of voting not only allows for candidates to be elected without a mandate of the majority, but it also forces the country to think of each election as a two-sided fight, with any third-party insurgency as only causing harm to one of those two major parties whose umbrellas are far too wide to truly represent everyone in their camp.
We reject first-past-the-post voting in favor of ranked-choice voting systems. In a ranked-choice, single transferable vote system, each voter has the opportunity to rank each of the candidates on the ballot from 1 to X, where X is the number of candidates running. All the first-place votes are counted, and any candidate who holds a mandate of the majority, or over 50% of the vote, wins. In the event that there is no winner, the last-place candidate’s first-place votes are redistributed to the second choice of each of those voters. This process is repeated until one candidate receives over 50% of the vote.
This process ensures that the candidate with the greatest level of support always wins, and it allows for people to vote for third-party candidates without fear of “spoiling” any election. It is the next step we must take to ensure our democracy remains true and valid. We have all been witnesses to the level of dysfunction first-past-the-post voting has brought to Washington, and we will not stand for it any longer.
We reject first-past-the-post voting in favor of ranked-choice voting systems. In a ranked-choice, single transferable vote system, each voter has the opportunity to rank each of the candidates on the ballot from 1 to X, where X is the number of candidates running. All the first-place votes are counted, and any candidate who holds a mandate of the majority, or over 50% of the vote, wins. In the event that there is no winner, the last-place candidate’s first-place votes are redistributed to the second choice of each of those voters. This process is repeated until one candidate receives over 50% of the vote.
This process ensures that the candidate with the greatest level of support always wins, and it allows for people to vote for third-party candidates without fear of “spoiling” any election. It is the next step we must take to ensure our democracy remains true and valid. We have all been witnesses to the level of dysfunction first-past-the-post voting has brought to Washington, and we will not stand for it any longer.
Digital Citizenship
Secure, effective digital citizenship would benefit all, but rural communities especially would benefit from the ability to confidently vote, pay taxes, renew driver’s licenses, apply for a business license, view vital records, or check on the status of applications for unemployment benefits, without having to travel long distances or stand in line at an office during business hours.
While recognizing the challenges to full digital citizenship, we support the digitization of many important government services on a regional basis. Paramount to achieving this goal, is a coordinated effort amongst the New England states to ensure every citizen has access to reliable, high-speed internet connection. This would unlock opportunities for digital civic participation in many forms, through a secure system of digital identification and verification. This type of initiative has enjoyed great success in countries where it has been implemented, and a gradual transition to a digital-hybrid citizenship could be achieved in New England as well.
This will require a commitment to cybersecurity, which could best be implemented on a regional basis. Ensuring the security of digital civic participation will be paramount to instilling public confidence in such institutions.
While recognizing the challenges to full digital citizenship, we support the digitization of many important government services on a regional basis. Paramount to achieving this goal, is a coordinated effort amongst the New England states to ensure every citizen has access to reliable, high-speed internet connection. This would unlock opportunities for digital civic participation in many forms, through a secure system of digital identification and verification. This type of initiative has enjoyed great success in countries where it has been implemented, and a gradual transition to a digital-hybrid citizenship could be achieved in New England as well.
This will require a commitment to cybersecurity, which could best be implemented on a regional basis. Ensuring the security of digital civic participation will be paramount to instilling public confidence in such institutions.
Expanded Voting Opportunities
The people of our country deserve better than to be told that they only have 14 hours to vote. We support making Election Day a national holiday, allowing for early voting, and no-excuse absentee voting. The right to choose one’s own destiny is perhaps the most sacred opportunity we have as sentient beings, and we will fight fiercely to ensure that the right to vote is protected and expanded.