The promise of democratic government is the preservation of consent. By asking the people to speak and obeying the voice of the majority, in theory the consent of the governed is maintained.
But what does it mean to consent when your choices are limited by the ones conducting the poll?
Let me paint you a very clear picture. Imagine you’re with a few friends at a party and you decide to order take out. Three of you want asian food and one wants pizza. Easy, right? Your friend goes into the kitchen and returns with two menus. Unfortunately, they’re both from pizza restaurants. They explain that they didn’t have any asian menus and quickly call your attention to this coupon on one of the menus. You wind up ordering pizza and wings, but you’re unhappy. Later you go to the kitchen for yourself and notice a drawer open. You peek in, and there is the truth. Indian, Chinese, and Japanese all just a phone call away.
Did you “consent” to pizza? Or did you make the best of a bad situation from options that were selected for you?
This is the way democracy is failing us in the US. The two dominant ruling parties in this nation have implemented a profoundly oppressive system of labyrinthine ballot access laws that prevent Libertarian, Green, Constitutionalist, and Socialist Workers Party candidates (to name just a few) from appearing on your ballot. And that’s not all. These laws also harm mainstream party challengers by tightly controlling the primary and convention delegate selection processes.
It turns out the ruling political class are like your sneaky friend: your choices are right there in the drawer, but because they’re too selfish to let everyone have a say in the outcome, they present the options that serve their needs while excluding yours.
Democracy in the United States is burning away and soon it will be gone to ashes, unless we do something big. That’s where you come in!
On Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020 activists across the nation are going to take this literally by burning our ballots and live streaming our thoughts on this great injustice. Sign up to participate and download our mock ballot if you prefer, and start thinking about how your choices are controlled. Would you like to end the war and dismantle the global empire? Hold CEOs accountable for their environmental crimes against humanity? End the patent and insurance monopoly that is crushing our health system? All of these choices are stashed away in the drawer in the kitchen, and denying these choices to you is denying your consent.
Consent matters. Democracy matters!
And on Super Tuesday, we’re going to speak out on why it matters.
