Our July newsletter recaps this month's social media posts, provides an update on the work to develop an objective Electoral Quality and Integrity standard, and shares information on a new study that reinforces the strong bipartisan support for greater partnership between our elected officials and their constituents (Speak Up for Good Government Principle #6).
The unspeakable tragedy in Highland Park, IL on July 4 followed a similar pattern to other mass shootings. The shooter left an online trail of violent imagery, and his thought process reinforces the opportunity to partner with social media providers to identify posts that foretell potential mass shootings. As is the case for nearly all mass shootings, there were missed clues and opportunities long before the attack. I urge all of you to review and promote the framework proposal I shared last month.
In addition to my posts about the Highland Park shooting, I also shared an NPR report that revives questions about police training and police procedures. Although the investigation of the police shooting of Jaylen Walker is still in progress, I strongly believe that the fact that he was shot by thirteen police officers indicates that the officers were following procedures that unnecessarily resulted in the chase that culminated in his death.
I was very pleased to see that Media Wise provided voters with a free text message course to help them better discern the accuracy of "information" we will be inundated with for the upcoming elections (Speak Up for Good Government Principle #2).
I continue to work actively with ASQ's Center for Electoral Quality and Integrity, leveraging voter input and the expertise of election officials, to develop an objective standard that can be used to measure the ease of voters to cast their ballot and the extent to which election results can be trusted. We are finalizing the timeline, objectives, and structure necessary to have a draft standard in place for the 2024 election cycle. We are actively looking for participants to support our work. Please contact me for additional information.
Maryland's Program for Public Consultation (PPC) and Voice of the People (VOP) continue to make the case that "large bipartisan majorities of voters want Members of Congress to consult their constituents on key policy decisions using new public consultation tools, and to take the recommendations of their constituents – as a whole – into account when voting on policies." In June, VOP President, Steven Kull testified before a roundtable of the House Select Committee for the Modernization of Congress; and the PPC's recent study on The Demand for Public Consultation was highlighted in the New York Times on July 9.
Thanks for your continued support of this very important work.
Have a great month!
Allan
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