Complete reforms of electoral process and congressional branches
Padfoot:
If we're completely redoing the legislative & executive branches then I would propose a more proportional system with a single legislative house and a prime minister. Also, DC & all territories would need to choose either full statehood, be absorbed into an existing state/combine into a new state, or become independent countries.
All states would be given 1 vote + the state's % of the total US population times 500 and then rounded to the nearest tenth. This would represent both their electoral votes and their votes in the legislature.
All states with fewer than 4 votes would elect their representatives from one multi-member statewide district. States with 4 or more votes would elect their representatives from roughly equal population districts (some districts would have +/- 0.1 votes and would need to have a correspondingly greater/smaller population) with district size being as close to 3 votes as possible.
Each district can elect n+1 representatives where "n" is equal to the district's votes rounded to the nearest whole number. Representatives would first run in a jungle primary where the top n+3 candidates advance to the general election. The general election would utilize instant run-off voting until only n+1 candidates remain. The districts votes would then be distributed proportionately among the remaining candidates. If any candidate who has advanced to this round would receive less than 0.2 votes from their district then they are also eliminated via instant runoff and the district's votes are distributed proportionately amongst the remaining candidates.
Once all votes have been distributed then typical parliamentary rules kick in for coalition building, selecting a prime minister/cabinet, power sharing, etc. Moving legislation forward for debate would only require a majority of votes and could not be stalled, delayed, or filibustered by any one member or group of members.
To preserve the "equality between the states" different types of legislation would still be required to garner a certain level of support from differing thresholds of members, states, or members within a state:
1. Domestic legislation would require a simply majority of votes to pass but the votes would need to come from at least 50% of the states.
2. Treaties and other international agreements would require a majority of the total votes and those votes would need to come from at least 60% of the states.
3. Constitutional amendments would require a 60% of the total votes and at least 1 full vote from 75% of the states to pass.
Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee:
Quote from: The Mikado on July 18, 2021, 09:58:23 PM
Quote from: Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee on July 17, 2021, 05:53:32 PM
The house needs to be Cube Root Rule and then needs independent redistricting or some form of PR.
There is no mention of campaign finance here and that is probably among the biggest problems we have.
I prefer "Cube Root Rule minus Senate" for size of House, since Cube Root Rule is supposed to be the ideal size of a legislature, not of a lower house. Assuming DC + PR statehood and keeping 2 Sens per State, so 104 Sens:
692 is cube root. 104 Senators, 588 House members.
No 23rd Amendment since DC Statehood, so 692 EVs, as well, if we're keeping Electoral College.
I like this way better than 692 + 104 = 796 EVs. 588 House Members is also much more manageable for actual House purposes: it's basically a 1/3rd increase in current size.
I disagree with that application for a couple of reasons.
1. The smaller the district population wise, the less value that donors will have relative to voters.
2. It is harder to gerrymander with smaller district than larger ones.
3. It gets NY back over 40 and PA in the mid 20s in terms of districts, which just looks right for my 1940s map fetish.
"Ideal size of the legislature" might sound good in the abstract but counting the Senate towards that number reduces the two biggest benefits for house (1 and 2 above) unnecessarily.
As for spacing and size, put them in a shed or a storage room. Or better yet seize Trump's hotel and put them there.
Also I would caveat that Cube Root Rule.
Nearest whole odd number ending in five, so 695. Last decade would have been 675 IIRC.
The Mikado:
If we're fixing the Supreme Court and can do it without worrying about the current Constitution, I'd much rather have a mandatory retirement age of 75 rather than term limits of a fixed year length.
Skill and Chance:
Reforms I would support in order of importance:
1. Constitutional amendment (or failing that, a SCOTUS ruling) explicitly stating that state legislatures cannot alter the method for choosing electors after an election was already held.
2. Constitutional amendment (or, failing that, a SCOTUS ruling) explicitly stating that the VP cannot unilaterally decide electoral vote disputes.
3. Ban EV-by-CD nationwide or at least get a SCOTUS ruling that using it in a diverse, highly populated state violates the VRA.
4. Replace the terrible 12th Amendment procedure with a December runoff between the top 2 candidates in the EC if there is no majority in November.
5. Voting: Make Election Day a Saturday. Early voting is required, but it will only be offered the week before the election. Polls must stay open from 6 am to 9 pm on each day of Early Voting and on Election Day. Mail-in voting requires an excuse (out-of-town throughout the election week, health issues, college students, etc.) and a witness, and you must provide your social security number on the application form. The excuse and witness requirements are automatically waived in areas under a public health emergency or other natural disaster declaration. Outdoor ballot drop boxes must be provided in disaster zones but are otherwise prohibited. Prisoners may not vote while incarcerated, but a criminal record cannot bar people from voting once they are released.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous page