Democracy at risk!Democracy is at risk when long lines In communications, circuits that are capable of handling transmissions over long distances. and faulty voting processes keep Americans from voting and having their votes counted. Democracy is at risk when partisan gerrymandering gerrymandering Drawing of electoral district lines in a way that gives advantage to a particular political party. The practice is named after Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry, who submitted to the state senate a redistricting plan that would have concentrated the voting ensures that elections are over before the people even vote. Democracy is at risk when government actions threaten basic civil liberties. And, democracy is at risk when special interests pay for election campaigns. Now is the time to act! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Years of band-aid solutions and neglect have allowed the mechanisms of many of our government systems to weaken. To remedy this, we launched our Democracy Agenda on the 85th anniversary of the League's founding. It is an advocacy and public education effort to strengthen and renew the basic tenets of American democracy. The Democracy Agenda offers solutions to help overcome persistent weaknesses and educate communities and citizens nationwide on how to improve things. We must: * protect our electoral processes through election reform and campaign finance reform Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns. , * advance our representative government through nonpartisan redistricting redistricting: see legislative apportionment. , and * preserve our constitutional rights by safeguarding civil liberties. We are focusing on the key election administration issues that must be dealt with for 2006, 2008 and beyond--provisional ballots, statewide voter registration Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens to check in with some central registry before being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive. Centralized/compulsory vs. lists, voting systems, polling place operations, and poll worker recruitment and training. There are also serious questions about the role of money and special interests in American politics and how financing of elections impacts the process. We believe that "he who pays the piper calls the tune" and that's why public financing of elections is our ultimate goal and a key part of our Democracy Agenda. Another issue that goes to the heart of the democratic system is the controversy over partisan redistricting. Today, with the advent of modern computers and intensifying partisanship, one can create legislative districts where the results of an election are known before any votes are cast or counted. This is what is happening across the nation. Basic civil liberties undergird our system of representative democracy and many of the key provisions of the USA Patriot Act USA PATRIOT Act [Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorists], 2001, U.S. of 2001 undermine them. A balance between homeland security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States and civil liberties is necessary, but finding that balance is challenging. We will closely monitor congressional action as several key provisions of the Patriot Act come up for "sunset," and, through our Local Voices project, we are involving the public in grappling with the interplay of civil liberties and security in their own communities. Making Democracy Work is the League's mission and our Democracy Agenda is a roadmap for achieving that mission. But a healthy democracy requires the involvement of all citizens. So do your part by inviting each and every citizen in your community to join the League of Women Voters League of Women Voters, voluntary public service organization of U.S. citizens. Organized in 1920 in Chicago as an outgrowth of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it had as its original nucleus the leaders of the latter organization. ! BY KAY J. MAXWELL LWVUS LWVUS League of Women Voters of the United States President |
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