Partout aux États-Unis, les Américains réclament et adoptent des réformes démocratiques aux niveaux étatique et local, et attendent la même chose de leurs représentants au Congrès. La possibilité de proposer une série d'auditions et une révision de la loi « For the People Act » (HR 1) constitue la première mesure viable depuis près de dix ans pour répondre à la forte demande publique de réformes radicales. La législation proposée offre un large éventail de réformes démocratiques à un moment où le gouvernement du peuple, par le peuple et pour le peuple est menacé.

The failure by the last Congress to read the writing on the wall regarding public demands for meaningful democracy reforms led to a drastic change in the composition of the U.S. House of Representatives. The For the People Act represents a down payment to the American people in answer to their full-throated demands for change. It contains many bold reforms, such as small-donor matching fund systems and independent redistricting commissions, that have passed with strong bipartisan support at the state and local level, to help empower the voices of everyday Americans.

We urge the House to pass the bill expeditiously and to forward the bill to the Senate in order to shine a spotlight on the Senate’s response – or silence in the face of public demand. Under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, that response has been to declare any proposed democracy reform DOA. That stance must change, or the Senate may find itself with a number of new faces in 2021.

Causes communes Notre démocratie 2018 report reflects the growing commitment to press reform in the incoming Congress. It was reflected in the record response rate from campaigns in which we asked then-candidates to go on the record with their positions on 18 key democracy reforms. The responses from more than 370 candidates were heartening, as these reflect an incoming Congress prepared to follow the will of the people.

Many democracy reform champions in Congress have worked for months to develop HR 1. We especially want to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her dedication to prioritizing democracy reform issues and to Congressman John Sarbanes, leader of the House Democracy Reform Task Force, for introducing the reform package.

Pour consulter un rapport sur les mesures de réforme du scrutin adoptées dans le pays au cours de ce cycle, Cliquez ici.

Pour consulter les réponses des candidats au Congrès à la question « Notre démocratie 2018 » de Common Cause, Cliquez ici.