THE VERB ACT: DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

 Ricky believes that: 

• V - Voting Rights; 
• E - Early Voting; 
• R - Registration; and 
• B - Ballot Reform, are all critical elements of the quest for a more perfect Union. 

Enacting THE VERB ACT will be both symbolic and proactive in improving our elections. Therefore, Ricky believes in comprehensive electoral reform unlike any other, where all citizens are entitled to a series of inalienable voting and democratic rights—a VOTER'S BILL OF RIGHTS. 

THE VERB ACT will establish (or further affirm) the following: 1) The unabridged right to vote, regardless of party affiliation, protected class, income level, or past criminal history.

• Because all citizens should be able to participate in primary elections.
• Because if you're an American citizen, you deserve the right to vote in U.S. elections, federal, state, and local alike. Period.
• Because no one should be made into a second-class citizen because they've been adjudicated at some point in the past.
• Because no citizen should ever be abridged from voting on the basis of race, color, gender, ability, national origin, sexual identity/orientation, or genetic information. 
• Because no citizen should ever be abridged from casting an informed ballot due to language barriers, and because Spanish, French-Créole, Portuguese, and various Native American/Amerindian languages are spoken and understood by American communities.
• Because the right to vote is a precious thing that must never be taken away from any citizen; after all, if it weren't important, why then are certain parties so determined to take it away from others?

2) The right to a statewide, universally-standardized paper ballot, presented in reasonably understandable language.

• Because no citizen should have to contend with poorly-designed ballots.
• Because no citizen should have to struggle to understand ballot measures.
• Because uniformity and consistency give rise to consistency and fairness, no matter where someone lives.
• Because no matter, up for public debate ,should ever be presented in a manner that is hard to understand by the average citizen.

3) The right to cast a ballot either early or in absentia, but no more than three (3) weeks prior to Election Day.

• Because Election Day should be a federal holiday.
• Because all citizens should have between the hours of 7:00 am and 9:00 pm to vote, both during Early Voting and on Election Day.
• Because no citizen should ever be prevented from making their voice heard because they aren't physically present due to infirmity/illness or some other reason.
• Because all workdays are not created equal, and every step must be taken in order to ensure that as many people can exercise their right to vote as possible.

4) The right to fairly-distributed voting precincts based according to population.

• Because no citizen should ever have to wait an hour in order to vote.
• Because all ballot-counting machines must be as up-to-date and efficient as possible.
• Because voting shouldn't be a hassle for anyone, nor should it be something that interferes with daily life any more than is reasonably expected.
• Because voting regulations should be a universal nationwide standard.

5) The right to equal ballot access, public campaign financing, and equal platform presentation by qualified candidates as defined by law.

• Because no qualified candidate should ever be excluded by a two-party system.
• Because no campaign should be defined by how much money it has, nor should money elect leaders.
• Because all viable candidates should have the right to present their platform before the people for election.
• Because elections are meant to be a forum of ideas and policies, and no viable candidate should be shut out of this process because they aren't a member of a particular party.
• Because elections are a public matter and must be treated as such; funded by the people to ensure the most qualified candidates are elected to legislate and lead our communities.

6) The right to automatic, online, and same-day voter registration upon reaching adulthood (18).

• Because no citizen should have to register for a right that is already guaranteed.
• Because no citizen should ever be purged from voter rolls due to inactivity.
• Because it is the government's responsibility to ensure the citizen's right to vote, and should therefore establish a National Voter Registration Database, tied into a citizen's social security number.
• Because efficiency should make democracy a friend to all, not a burden to some.

7) The right to a ballot, delivered automatically to a citizen's domicile prior to every election.

8) The right to a non-partisan election oversight commission tasked with transparent election auditing, and for all votes to be counted prior to the release of election results.

• Because no citizen should have to endure an election lacking accountability and justice.
• Because no candidate should ever feel compelled to concede before every vote is counted.
• Because irregularities and incompetence have seriously damaged the most democratic part of our society—our elections.

9) The right to an automatic runoff election triggered in the event of no popular plurality (50%+).

• Because elections, no matter the scope, should be determined by a plurality (majority popular vote), not the presence of a potential spoiler.

10) The complete and total abolishment of the Electoral College in presidential elections.

• Because the President of the United States, no matter whom he or she may be, ought to be democratically elected by a simple majority vote, not at the whim of an outdated system.

PASS THE VERB ACT.