The Big Ideas Project

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Merged Idea

DECENTRALIZE the funding of political campaigns, through matching funds or democracy vouchers to every voter, so that Congress is dependent on ALL of us, and not just the tiny fraction of the 1% that now effectively funds their campaigns. No real change will happen till this change does.

Submitted by Lessig in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 9:21 a.m. 16

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10198 votes

Merged Idea

Make gerrymandering of districts illegal. The only criteria that voting districts should be based upon is geographical location. Current redistricting policies only serve to disenfranchise voters of both parties, decrease the effectiveness of our democratic process, and encourage partisan divisions.

Submitted by multipartysystem in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 4:08 p.m. 2

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#13

6375 votes

Comprehensive election reforms. A law forbidding corporations from funding elections in any form and a limit on individual spending. National day off for all citizens to vote. National standards for voter eligibility, with specific prohibitions against restrictions designed to suppress specific types of voters.

Submitted by Ronald Ein from WA in Government & Elections Nov. 11, 2014, 9:29 p.m. 2

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#17

5630 votes

Merged Idea

Mandatory recusal by U.S. Supreme Court Judges on any case with conflicts of interest. This is already the law everywhere else, but for some reason does not apply to judges/attorneys serving in the U.S. Supreme Court. This would prevent judges who were previously attorneys for corporations to vote on cases involving those corporations. i.e. Clarence Thomas used to work for Monsanto, yet he still votes on all of Monsanto's cases (and always sides with them).

Submitted by Sabine Jordan from CA in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 7:44 p.m.

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#24

4892 votes

Merged Idea

End the electoral college. My specific vote should count. Don't add me to my neighbors vote. No more gerrymandering, no more election manipulation. Bring back the popular vote.

Submitted by Eugene O. from NY in Government & Elections Nov. 17, 2014, 8:52 a.m. 1

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#25

4727 votes

Since corporations have been deemed people, make them have to announce their citizenship (citizenship based on where the official HQs is) & if they're not American then they shouldn't have the ability to donate to campaigns since they can not vote like a live person. Human foreigners can not vote in American elections & corporations that relocate overseas shouldn't be able to influence American elections.

Submitted by Bobby Copeland in Government & Elections Nov. 11, 2014, 8:20 p.m. 1

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#31

4181 votes

Merged Idea

Every bill must be 100% germane. If you want to attack contraception, it needs a standalone bill, not as a "rider" in a Budget bill. New Idea or New Subject? New. Bill. Every. Time.

Submitted by Reform It Now in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 11:22 a.m. 1

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#32

4169 votes

Prosecute people who intentionally try to trick potential voters from voting (e.g. the Koch brothers). False absentee ballots were sent out to people. Billboard ads told people the wrong voting date. Some insinuated they could get arrested for voting. I see this as TREASON (against the Constitution).

Submitted by Stacy Croan from IL in Government & Elections Dec. 16, 2014, 9:29 p.m.

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#39

3961 votes

Merged Idea

2 Constitutional Amendments. 1) Corporations are not people and have no Civil Rights. 2) Money does not equal speech. Until that is done every thing else is superfluous and will not work. Especially with this Extreme and Reactive Supreme Court.

Submitted by Kevin G. Farrell in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 4:42 p.m.

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#44

3595 votes

Merged Idea

END GERRYMANDERING. At the state level, attempt to implement Iowa or California-style nonpartisan distracting commissions . On the national level, pass a bill in congress requiring that all US House districts be drawn by such a commission, either one implemented by the individual states or, in states which refuse to do so, a federal one (using congress's constitutionally delegated power to regulate its own elections)

Submitted by Joshua Rosenthal in Government & Elections Dec. 16, 2014, 10:52 p.m. 1

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#51

3266 votes

Merged Idea

Get money out of politics by making all federal, state and local campaign run on public funding.

Submitted by Anthony J. Piccione in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 11:11 a.m. 2

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#58

3110 votes

Stop the revolving door between government and corporations! Corporations control many of our Federal Government Agencies by placing their people in positions of authority. For example Wall Street controls the Treasury and Federal reserve and Pharmaceutical companies control the Food & Drug Administration. They don't represent Middle Class America! We need politicians in office like Elizabeth Warren to speak out and force change.

Submitted by Bill McElyea, MS Ed in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 4:57 p.m.

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#59

3094 votes

Preserve self-government by passing a law to regulate out-of-district money in elections. More than two-thirds of money for congressional campaigns comes from outside of the district, and the majority of that money comes from seven zip codes. This means that campaigns and candidates have less and less to do with the place they represent, and more and more to do with national elites. This has undermined new people with new ideas coming into politics.

Submitted by David Fontana, Associate Professor of Law at George Washington University School of Law in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 2:29 a.m.

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#61

2996 votes

Merged Idea

Bring back the Fairness Doctrine, repealed during the Reagan area, to bring parity and responsible reporting back to our airwaves so that we have a better-informed citizenry casting better-informed votes.

Submitted by Laura in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 1:44 p.m. 1

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#65

2910 votes

Remove tax advantages for churches that promote candidates, specific parties and platforms.

Submitted by Marilyn Nyborg in Government & Elections Jan. 4, 2015, 4:26 p.m.

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#66

2892 votes

Any bill that is introduced cannot be written by a lobbyist and can only be written by the bill's sponsor. The bill sponsor cannot take contributions from any corporation or entity that will be affected by the bill.

Submitted by JohnC in Government & Elections Dec. 17, 2014, 3:39 p.m. 3

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#68

2869 votes

Limit the amount of money politicians can spend on elections. The incredible amounts spent now could feed the poor, house the homeless, allow people to get the dental and mental health assistance they need, etc. Instead of being greedy, they need to think of the people who can't live the way they do and work harder and take pay cuts.

Submitted by Nancy Y. from ME in Government & Elections Jan. 4, 2015, 4:17 p.m.

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#73

2756 votes

Merged Idea

The Federal government should fund all elections. Major networks would provide equal broadcast time to all serious candidates. No person or organization would be allowed to donate or buy airtime for political reasons.

Submitted by richrunk in Government & Elections Dec. 9, 2014, 2:20 p.m.

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#77

2699 votes

In the case of a government shut down, congressional members responsible for shutting down the government should NOT receive any pay during the period that the government remains shut down. They should also pay a fine for each day the government remains shut down.

Submitted by Dona B. from CO in Government & Elections Dec. 9, 2014, 8:37 p.m. 1

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#78

2671 votes

Enact/enforce laws that prohibit government from borrowing money from the National Social Security Fund for any reason except to pay qualified retirees. The government has been borrowing money from the Social Security Fund for years, using our money for unrelated expenses in other aspects of the federal budget. This money should not be allowed to be taken from the Fund for any other reason than to pay retirees who have reached at least age 59.5 years old.

Submitted by Rachel G. from WA in Government & Elections Jan. 2, 2015, 9:40 p.m. 1

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#82

2625 votes

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