Our Own Agenda :: Elections

A YES! Take on What Americans Want

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by Sarah van Gelder

posted Aug 11, 2008

President Barack Obama faces huge challenges as he takes office. But he's got one asset that is rarely mentioned. Large majorities of Americans agree on some of the most important issues of the day, from health care to foreign policy. “Ten Policies for a Better America” shows an agenda a majority supports—whether we vote red, blue, or some other political color.
Hover over or click on each policy button to see the YES! Take on What Americans Want. [Buy or Print poster version below.] [Link to this agenda: image downloads to spread the word]


YES! MAGAZINE GRAPHIC, 2008. Illustrations by Brandon Laufenberg/istock Click on each policy button and scroll down to see respective poll citations.



		Provide public financing for elections campaigns. Bring back the Fairness Doctrine and get broadcasters to open the people’s airwaves to free campaign information. Require voter-verified paper ballots that are audited and can be recounted. End partisan districting and voter-roll purges. Fully implement the Voting Rights Act and enforce existing laws against vote suppression. Restore voting rights to ex-felons who have served their sentences.

86%
Say big companies have too much power.

74%
Favor voluntary public financing of campaigns.

66%
Believe intentional acts are likely to cause significant voting machines errors.

80%
Say ex-felons should have their voting rights restored.

Sources

Index

	Safeguarding the Vote You'd expect computer experts to be in favor of electronic voting machines. In fact, they were the first to detail the perils of “black-box" voting. YES! Magazine #26, Finding Courage

	Recipe for a Cooked Election It's not just the voting machines. Greg Palast details how more than 3 million votes simply disappeared during the 2004 election. YES! Magazine #39, Health Care for All

	Activists Defend Voter Rights There's progress in taking back elections, from public financing to protecting the right to vote. YES! Magazine #45, Climate Solutions

	Beyond Campaign Finance Reform And More People across the country aren't waiting for action from politicians and judges. Here are the hot spots where activists are getting corporations out of government and elections. YES! Magazine #43, Stand Up to Corporate Power

YES! Magazine Checklist for a Fair Election

12 Ways You Can Safeguard the Vote .

SOURCES:

ELECTIONS

86% SAY BIG COMPANIES HAVE TOO MUCH POWER ::
The Harris Poll. Feb. 5-11, 2008. N=1,010 adults nationwide.
www.pollingreport.com/politics.htm

74% FAVOR VOLUNTARY PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS ::
1000 likely 2006 voters nationwide was conducted June 8-15, 2006, by Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research. The margin of sampling error is +/-3.1%. This survey was conducted for Public Campaign Action Fund and Common Cause.
www.wvoter-owned.org/news/2006/06_21_memo.pdf

66% BELIEVE INTENTIONAL ACTS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT VOTING MACHINES ERRORS. ::
CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Oct. 13-15, 2006. N=1,012 adults nationwide.
www.pollingreport.com/politics.htm

80% SAY EX-FELONS SHOULD HAVE THEIR VOTING RIGHTS RESTORED. ::
Harris Poll, July 2002, as cited in "Why Can't Ex-Felons Vote" by Kevin Krajick, Washington Post, page A19, August 18, 2004.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9785-2004Aug17.html

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Sarah van Gelder wrote this article as part of Purple America, the Fall 2008 issue of YES! Magazine. Research by Noah Grant. Sarah is executive editor and Noah is editorial assistant at YES! Magazine.



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YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps. Gelder, S. v. (2008, August 11). Our Own Agenda :: Elections. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from YES! Magazine Web site: http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/purple-america/2913. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License