My letter to Kerry: Why should I give you my vote? (and how to get it)

[GreenPartyVoter]

Dear Senator,

As I look over your record and your stand on current issues, I am dismayed. Are you really offering me an alternative to George W. Bush in most areas? With the exception of women's choice and the environment, you seem to be offering only a modified version of Bush's current and proposed policies. But I don't want Bush's policies, which is why I am desperate to get him out of office.

I will be completely frank and tell you that I would prefer, in this instance, to vote for Dennis Kucinich this fall as he is closer to my views on most subjects than you are. Not because the Greens are not offering a terrific choice of candidates--they are. But I know how the system works and right now only the DNC is truly in a position to dethrone King George.

So. Here is what I truly want to know. Will you fight for REAL election reform from the Oval Office so that people who want to vote for a Green or a Socialist or a Libertarian or what have you can not only cast that ballot, but cast it knowing that it has a chance of actually being worth something other than a vote of conscience?

Senator, the changes I would really like to see take place in this country's electoral system are:

CLEAN ELECTIONS: No more extra clout for moneyed special interests. No more elected officials spending more time on the trail fundraising than in their office working for the people who put them there in the first place. Every candidate has the same amount of money and airtime. All are on equal footing rather than subject to the golden rule of "He who has the gold rules".

OPEN DEBATES: Voters can't be expected to vote their conscience without first hearing from all of the valid candidates. This means letting in all of the qualified candidates, not only the Republican and Democratic ones.

ELECTION HOLIDAYS: for federal elections, with extended polling hours so that all people who want to vote have the opportunity.

REGULATED VOTING MACHINES: There has to be accountability and a legitimate paper trail. And we need to bring the job of counting the votes back into the public sector and set the system up so that there is complete transparency.

RANKED VOTING: Voters should be expected to vote their conscience, not for the lesser of two evils. The current system shuts out so many candidates and minimizes the options and power of the voter at the ballot box. At this time many people are clamoring for Instant Runoff Voting. However, it still has a "spoiler" effect, so that instituting it could still result in a Green causing a Democrat to lose (or vice versa) Condorcet voting seems to be a better and more fair alternative for a ranked voting set up.

REFORM THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE: Institute ranked voting here as well, and consider changing the weight of votes for smaller states since, despite its intent to protect less populous areas, it has instead become a reflection of the popular vote. (Have you noticed how candidates and the media do not focus much attention during campaigns on the states with few electoral votes?)

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION: It’s time to put an end to gerrymandering and “protecting” incumbents. It's time for the Congress to be a mirror of America's electorate. We know for a fact that the bulk of Americans are not wealthy white people. Where are the poor Latina congresswomen? Where are the middle class African American Senators? (I know this last request will be the hardest to institute, but surely you can lay the groundwork for switching to this type of set up at least in the House.)

For more information on these reforms, please visit my website. http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/

Senator, I wish you the best of luck in your election bid. I hope that by November I will have heard enough from you to make me place a checkmark by your name because I want to vote FOR YOU instead of AGAINST George W. Bush.