The Big Ideas Project

{The truth, fairness, and accountability in elections act.}3.That any and all contributions over $1000 be verifiable by name of the donor whether directly or indirectly made to any politician or organization. That 5% of any political donation exceeding $100,000.($500,000 Donation,5%of $400,000) be applied to the enforcement and application of this act. “Americans have the right to know who owns or are attempting to buy our government."

Submitted by Rayzburnslow in Government & Elections Dec. 29, 2014, 10:45 p.m.

Tweet Share

#180

1339 votes

Make voting day a holiday from work!

Submitted by Galen D. from WA in Government & Elections Nov. 21, 2014, 3:04 p.m.

Tweet Share

#182

1325 votes

Reinstate Feingold Mcain Finance Reform Act that got repealed in the $1.1T Spending bill to fund the gov’t through 2015.

Submitted by Roger M. from NY in Government & Elections Dec. 30, 2014, 4:22 p.m.

Tweet Share

#183

1321 votes

Require all Republican public officials, local, state and federal, who have signed the Norquist Pledge to renounce the Pledge and retake their Oaths of Office. The Constitution gives Congress the power to 'lay & collect taxes, duties, imports & excises." When the Republicans take their Oaths of Office after signing the Norquist Pledge to not raise tax rates, they do so WITH mental reservations AND purpose of evasion. Thus, invalidating their Oaths of Office.

Submitted by Nancy R. in Government & Elections Jan. 5, 2015, 6:04 p.m.

Tweet Share

#193

1241 votes

Merged Idea

Term limits for Congress. They will actually work if they are not always campaigning.

Submitted by Robert W. from IA in Government & Elections Nov. 9, 2014, 9:41 a.m. 1

Tweet Share

#210

1167 votes

Pass a law explicitly overturning the Citizens United ruling and the Supreme Court's 19th century redefinition of corporations as legal "persons." Without that (and the overturning of Buckley v Valeo's redefinition of campaign spending as a form of speech), no law trying to stop unlimited campaign spending can survive judicial challenge.

Submitted by signs sans signifieds in Government & Elections Jan. 15, 2015, 8:52 a.m.

Tweet Share

#221

1116 votes

Mandate that all jury duty be treated as paid time off for all businesses. This will unclog the legal system on several fronts and result in fairer trials.

Submitted by bellcat in Government & Elections Jan. 2, 2015, 10:26 p.m. 2

Tweet Share

#222

1109 votes

Push for a system more like France's, where voters can choose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices for candidates (at least for the presidency) and make paid political advertising illegal. Only publicly-sponsored debates should be allowed.

Submitted by Diane P. from TX in Government & Elections Nov. 14, 2014, 8:57 p.m.

Tweet Share

#226

1077 votes

Pass the LINE ITEM VETO once and for all. Congress will hate it because they will have to present unpopular bills on their own merits, not sneaking pork belly legislation as a rider to, or worse hidden within a real bill.

Submitted by randygillespie1 in Government & Elections Dec. 11, 2014, 12:48 p.m.

Tweet Share

#231

1065 votes

Many Senators and Representatives multiply their wealth during their tenure by investing in companies where they have insider knowledge or by promoting legislation where they have a financial interest. As with the Presidency, wealth of our legislators should be placed in a blind trust until they leave office, all the insider trading laws should apply to our legislators, and they should be required to recuse themselves in any vote in which they have a financial interest.

Submitted by Martha Luehrmann in Government & Elections Jan. 10, 2015, 4:18 p.m. 1

Tweet Share

#237

1007 votes

No more private access to politicians. All lobbying must be done in a room with cameras rolling and aired on a publicly paid for television station nation wide!

Submitted by mike bates in Government & Elections Jan. 15, 2015, 10:17 a.m.

Tweet Share

#249

951 votes

Tax all campaign contributions in excess of $1,000 X 25%. Tax all dark money contributions 50%. Use proceeds to develop a permanent endowment to provide public financing for all elections in the near future.

Submitted by Timothy Salt in Government & Elections Dec. 29, 2014, 2:20 p.m.

Tweet Share

#251

946 votes

Pass campaign reform such that only citizens eligible to cast a vote for a candidate are permitted to donate to that candidate. No foreign, corporate or union money allowed! Force the media to provide equal amounts of FREE time on the air to candidates from at least 4 parties. This must be part of their FCC requirements.

Submitted by Vinced in Government & Elections Jan. 4, 2015, 4:50 p.m.

Tweet Share

#256

902 votes

Public financing of elections. Get private money out of politics. Require broadcasters to devote a certain amount of time covering elections and debates as part of their licenses, beginning no earlier than 6 months prior to the election.

Submitted by Andrew F. from WA in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 1:44 p.m.

Tweet Share

#259

892 votes

Amend our Constitution to state that 1) rights protected under it are for human beings only and no other entities; 2) Money is not speech and governments have a duty to regulate the spending of it on elections.

Submitted by Maureen D. from MA in Government & Elections Jan. 4, 2015, 5:57 p.m.

Tweet Share

#261

885 votes

Make Voter-Tuesdays a public holiday (at least for federal elections)

Submitted by Betsy in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 11:23 a.m.

Tweet Share

#274

837 votes

No one who is not eligible to vote in a given election should be allowed to contribute to political campaigns in that district. Since corporations are not eligible to vote, they may not contribute to political campaigns, ever. This will ensure that local issues are addressed and local candidates are elected, not career politicians moving from place to place trying to get elected (like Scott Brown, for example).

Submitted by Susie in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 4:54 p.m.

Tweet Share

#277

822 votes

Since taxation without representation is tyranny, citizens of the District of Columbia should be given full rights to elect voting members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Submitted by Diogenes in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 1:55 p.m.

Tweet Share

#280

800 votes

Objectively draw district lines every census year.

Submitted by ct in Government & Elections Dec. 29, 2014, 8:35 p.m.

Tweet Share

#290

778 votes

Merged Idea

Open source government! All government proposals, bills, discussions, debates, policies, forums, etc., must be published, unedited, on the internet. The citizens MUST be fully informed of what our government is up to.

Submitted by Scott Arnold in Government & Elections Jan. 3, 2015, 1:15 p.m.

Tweet Share

#300

759 votes

Who’s voting?

Thanks for voting on your favorite ideas!