The most important right we have is that of the vote. Through our votes we express our will; we invest in our fellow citizens the responsibility to govern in our name. Following the 2000 presidential election, the fairness and accuracy of our electoral system has been called into question. We believe that the Montana voting process needs to be made fair and reliable so that every voice is heard, every vote is counted, and all qualifying candidates are given the opportunity to make their views and programs known. We believe that the state should invest in research and development to modernize our voting system. Every Montanan should leave the voting booth confident that there is an incorruptible record of votes cast to ensure the truth and legitimacy of elections.
We believe that there should be as few obstacles to voting as possible. Voters should be able to register for permanent absentee ballot status, but actual voting should take place within a week of election day, not months in advance. We believe that there should be same-day registration at all polling places, which should open earlier in the morning and stay open until later at night to ensure that everyone has a chance to vote.
For too long voters have been forced to make their choices between "the lesser of two evils" in a constricting "two-party system of denial and blame." This means that many citizens cannot vote their conscience and many others have been turned off to the process altogether. We believe that Montana should adopt INSTANT RUN-OFF and FUSION voting. This means having a second choice so that your vote for a minority candidate does not benefit the candidate you like the least -- the so-called "spoiler" effect. Fusion voting means that a candidate could be endorsed or nominated by more than one party. Ballots should include a binding "None of the Above" choice so that, if the situation presents itself, citizens can express dissatisfaction with all candidates, and leave offices unfilled or to be appointed by other constitutional authority.
When our country was founded it lacked a unifying identity. Policy disputes based on factionalism, regionalism and distrust divided the young nation. Because they feared direct democracy by a largely rural and out-of-touch citizenry, the Framers implemented the Electoral College to ensure that some well-organized faction could not seize control of the federal government. This system served to ensure that the new president would have the support of a majority of states and congressional districts. Today, we know what it means to be an American. Our nation is firmly united, and it has weathered the Civil War and over two hundred years of shared history. Today, the Electoral College serves mainly to frustrate the will of the people. We believe that our nation should amend our Constitution to provide for direct election of our president.