THE PETITION
Governing ourselves with pride and dignity
This is the petition and the amendment. At the bottom of this page, click the button to open the document to print. Fill in the blanks, sign and give to your state representatives. To find the names and contact information for your representatives, click here.
PETITION:
I, _________________________________________________ in accordance with my First Amendment guarantee, petition you, ________________________________________________ , my representative in the _________________________________ legislature to introduce, support and VOTE for a resolution by the ________________________________________ legislature to apply to the United States Congress, pursuant to Article Five of our Constitution, to call a constitutional convention to discuss proposing an amendment to our Constitution exclusively to*:
- Prohibit all private campaign expenditures in all state and federal elections.
- Establish free, fair and open Election and Legislative Forums for all election- and legislation-related communication for all citizens, candidates, advocates and representatives, with universal, convenient, impartial, equal treatment and rules.
- Select candidates via non-partisan peer-group interviews.
- Conduct non-partisan open primaries with uniform election schedules and rules.
- Require that all candidates participate in public campaign events conducted by the Election Forum.
- Authorize citizens to elect a board of fellow citizens in every congressional district to oversee the Forums and interviews.
- Authorize municipal, county, township and all other local government bodies to enact like measures to apply in their jurisdictions.
- Authorize Congress to implement this amendment* upon its ratification with appropriate legislation.
With this application, the State of _______________________________________, calls on Congress to bring the Convention to order to propose, discuss, deliberate and vote upon these measures with a voting body of three representatives, state residents who have never served in elected office, sent by each of the first 34 state legislatures also applying to Congress.
__________________________________________________________________
Your Signature
Address: ___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
* Full text of the proposed amendment attached (important: When you send in your petition, you should include the proposed amendment with your petition).
FOR FURTHER EXPLANATION VISIT THIS LINK.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
Section 1. Any expenditure of private funds or in-kind services to sponsor or advocate for or against a
candidate or ballot item in a state or federal election, to influence a state or federal election, or to influence state or federal legislation shall be prohibited.
Section 2. A fair, free, and open Election Forum shall provide candidates and advocates a means of communicating with the public for state and federal elections. A separate Legislative Forum for public communication pertaining to state and federal legislation shall also be provided. Both forums shall be administered by federal civil servants and overseen by a District Office for Voter Information Board (hereinafter; the District Board) comprising five members elected by the people in each of the United States Congressional Districts. The first elected District Board members (whose election shall be determined in a special national election described in section 7., below) shall be elected to single terms of two, four and six years. Every District Board member elected thereafter shall serve a single six-year term, in staggered two- year intervals.
Section 3. The District Boards shall also oversee the random selection of citizens who will form into groups of three peers to evaluate prospective candidates for the following offices:, two-hundred separate interviews for the United States Senate and Governor of each state; one hundred separate interviews for the United States House of Representatives, for District Board, and for state constitutional offices; seventy-five interviews for the senate (or upper house) in each state; and fifty for the house of representatives (or lower house) in each state. Prospective candidates shall apply to the District Boards with a resume’, agree to background screening and submit a 1000 word “Reasons I seek this office” written statement that will be forwarded to the interviewers for review prior to the interviews. The District Boards shall limit the number of prospective candidates interviewed to ten of the most qualified, based on review of their applications. The District Boards shall appoint one of its members to serve concurrently on a State Board to review and likewise limit applicants for statewide seats to ten who qualify for prospective candidacy.
The District Boards of each state shall vote to select one member from each state to a separate Office for Voter Information National Board (hereinafter; the National Board) to oversee the national presidential candidate selection convention and Election Forum for the presidential primary and general elections (described in Section 4 below). The National Board shall also be responsible for the formation of the Election and Legislative Forum websites.
Each randomly selected citizen interviewer shall participate in twenty interviews per election cycle. Every interview shall be 30 minutes in duration. After the completion of each interview the interviewers shall rate the prospective candidates for suitability for the office on a scale of one-to-ten with a private ballot. The four prospective candidates for each office receiving the most favorable peer evaluations shall participate in a primary election. If no incumbent is seeking reelection, the two candidates receiving the most votes in the primary election shall proceed to the general election. If an incumbent is seeking reelection, the single candidate receiving the most votes in the primary election, and the incumbent, shall proceed to the general election. All candidates shall be required to participate in all Election Forum events and broadcasts: public meetings, debates, speeches, press conferences, and maintain an exclusive web page on the official Election Forum website.
Section 4. Each state shall hold a special election to choose from four persons who receive the most favorable evaluations resulting from two-hundred-fifty separate interviews held within the state, a candidate/delegate to attend the national presidential candidate selection convention. Each candidate/delegate shall address all convention attendees for fifteen minutes and participate in a forty-five-minute open discussion immediately following the address. Each candidate/delegate shall also participate in group discussions of five individuals for one-hour, such that every candidate/delegate shall meet every other in a discussion group.
After all discussions have been completed, every candidate/delegate shall rate three candidates, other than herself or himself, on a scale of one-to-ten, deemed best suited to become president. The four individuals receiving the highest ratings, shall participate in all election forum events culminating in the national presidential primary election. If no incumbent is seeking re-election the two candidates receiving the most votes will meet again in the general election. If an incumbent is seeking re-election, the candidate receiving the most votes in the primary shall meet the incumbent in the general election.
Section 5. Expenditures and other violations shall be reported to the District Board in the congressional district in which such violations are alleged to have occurred. The District Board shall have the power to recommend investigations. A violation is subject to federal prosecution and, is punishable by imprisonment for a term of not less than one year, nor more than ten years and a fine.
Section 6. Municipal, County, Township and all other local governments shall have the authority to enforce like measures of this amendment by appropriate legislation for public elections within their jurisdictions.
Section 7. The first elected District Boards subsequent to ratification of this amendment shall be formed by a special national election. The Secretaries of State in each State shall appoint and oversee a special election staff of fifty temporary workers who shall randomly select citizens to conduct the first peer group interviews of prospective candidates. One hundred separate interviews by three-person peer groups shall determine which ten most favorably evaluated prospective candidates (via the process described in Section 3 above) from an original body of no more than twenty of the most-qualified applicants (pre-screened by the interviewers) shall appear on the ballot in each congressional district. The five District Office Board candidates receiving the most votes in each district shall form each District Office for Voter Information by hiring full time staff, which shall be in place to provide the intended public services for all ensuing state and federal elections and legislative sessions.
Section 8. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this amendment with appropriate legislation.
FOR FURTHER EXPLANATION VISIT THIS LINK.