Hypothetically, if the American Majority Party attracted enough members to become a mainstream feature of the American political landscape, what impact might it have on our democracy? While acknowledging there may also be unintended consequences, the following scenarios seem plausible if not likely.
Increased Voter Participation – AMP should appeal to people who have not voted in the past because it doesn’t require that you learn anything about the candidates prior to the election. During election season you can safely ignore all candidate advertising and talking-head analysis. On election day you’ll get an e-mail reminding you to vote, and your AMP dashboard will identify the candidates you can vote for based on the issues you’ve pledged your vote to. If more than one candidate supports your issues, you can pick any of them knowing that what’s important to you will be taken care of. If the day of the election you decide you want to learn a little more about the candidates before voting, your AMP dashboard will include a picture and biography of all candidates in the race. Some candidates may choose to include informational videos in their dashboard listing.
Remedy for Gerrymandering – The 43% of eligible voters who stayed away from the polls in the 2016 election is equal to 90 million people. If there is even a modest uptick in voter participation, the balance of voting power in congressional districts that have been gerrymandered for decades may change enough to oust the incumbent party.
Overcome Special Interests – Members of Congress need to be very careful about offending their money sources, so they sometimes will vote “with the money” even when their conscience or their constituents suggest otherwise. If a Congressperson or Senator can show via the AMP website that a majority of his constituents support a certain issue, it provides “cover” for votes that are unpopular with his money sources.
Allies in Congress – There are members of Congress who don’t view their office as a business, and resent the fact that they have to spend a third or more of their time raising money for the next election. These congresspeople may welcome the American Majority Party because we provide an independent, non-partisan platform for their constituents to express their wishes. They may also be willing to assist AMP by sponsoring legislation in Congress that conforms to our various FNV Campaign propositions.
Political Industrial Complex – The two-party system and the influence of money in politics have given rise to an enormous political industrial complex. Over $6 billion was spent on federal political campaigns during the 2016 election season, and that is just what was reported Between and among the campaign managers, lobbyists, pollsters, media talking-heads, party functionaries, chartered jets, conventions and meetings, political action committees, and consultants of every stripe and flavor, it’s an industry with combined revenues north of $20 billion per election year. AMP offers the first practical alternative to two-party politics, by providing citizens with a non-partisan basis for deciding who to vote for.
Competition – If voters have an alternative, non-monetary channel to communicate with their their elected representatives, they may no longer see a need to support either political party and the political industrial complex will face genuine competition for the very first time. Whenever a new competitor enters an old market with a product that’s easier to use and delivers better results, the established players are forced to change. Republicans and Democrats will either come up with something that competes effectively with our FNV Campaigns, or they will fade in influence and appeal.
This is the year 2023. There has to be a better way to run a democracy.