Congress is responsible for funding appropriations and for passing legislation designed to address the critical problems vexing our society. Solutions to these critical problems aren't easy, but funding appropriations and passing legislation should be the easy part. Unfortunately, Congress is frequently unable to do the "easy part," failing to conduct basic business like passing a budget and keeping the government open.
In last month's newsletter, I shared my vision and my expectations of Congress. In support of that vision, I developed eight good government principles that provide a foundation for Congress to meet those expectations. Over the course of this year, I will review each principle, and articulate why each principle is critical to the effectiveness of our Legislative branch.
The first of my good government principles is free and fair elections for all. Given that we are in the midst of an election year, this principle is particularly salient. In his 1960 State of the Union speech, President Eisenhower said, "In the long perspective of history, the right to vote has been one of the strongest pillars of a free society. Our first duty is to protect this right against all encroachment."
Voter trust of Congress is at all time low, with many voters feeling that their legislators aren't working for them.
Having a Congress that truly represents us and meets our expectations starts with representative districts, secure elections, and easy access to the ballot box.
My work with the Center for Electoral Quality and Integrity is designed to support the work of election officials and increase voter confidence by providing an objective framework for evaluating election operations. We are spending much of this year soliciting input from election officials and election experts on whether the Operations System map that we developed with the support of a small group of election officials and election experts, accurately reflects the key activities necessary for free and fair elections.
I encourage you to share the Operations System map with local election officials and get back to me with their feedback and recommendations.
There are a number of other outstanding organizations doing great work to support and safeguard our elections. You can find links to several of them in the resources section of my Elections principle.
Social media posts this month:
Issue One's latest installment of Faces of Democracy. The series highlights election officials and the heroic work they do to protect our democracy.
Voice of the People's public consultation on government and elections, which highlights voting reforms and election integrity reforms supported by bipartisan majorities.
Information on how one Ohio college is working to make politics "saner"
Have a great month!
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