CERDAFIED VIEWS - We need a referendum on the ballot that allows registered voters go to an online site and vote to remove public officials from office who voted on issues that two thirds of the voters opposed. Just one click of the button and we the voters could remove a whole slate of public officials for failing to meet their constituent’s expectations. We’ll call it the “Clearing House Act.”
No elected official would be immune to the wrath of the voter. Voter registration would go through the roof!
I know what you’re thinking … the cost of new elections … yada … yada … yada. I’ve got that covered. We will add the provision that the candidate with the 2nd highest vote count shall replace the ejected candidate and continue right through the candidate slate until we find someone who has their ear to the ground, or their heart with the people. Why not?
If our politicians are okay with our votes being hijacked by modern technology, I feel fairly comfortable with modern technology removing them from office. They wouldn’t have the audacity to complain about questionable voting results when they are ejected because they entered office due to questionable voting results.
Can you imagine what it would be like going to a city hall meeting? The council members would not only be listening to us, they would be removing the timer and serving us refreshments personally. I’ll take a little honey with my tea please.
I figure, if the constitution isn’t protecting the voters, the constitution shouldn’t be protecting the elected.
I am feeling pretty good about this idea. Here’s another referendum. We will call it the “Fine Print Act”. No elected official may vote on any agenda item or bill until the elected official passes a test proving that they have a proficient understanding of the item or bill. All those 800 page laws, meant to dissuade reading and comprehension, will become bullet point laws, if they are to be understood and voted on.
To make things more interesting, we will limit how many times they are allowed to fail a test during their term in office. This may weed out incompetence. Or at the very least we may have elected officials with some long term memory. It’s amazing how fast elected officials forget their campaign promises. It’s about the length of time it takes a lobbyist to cash their check.
Congress would come to a standstill and believe me that’s a good thing. I always said that every bill has a fly in the soup. Now I say every bill is all flies and no soup. Times are changing. We need to use technology against our leaders to even the playing field.
Quite frankly, with all the bi-partisan wrangling and bickering, we could use a referendum that requires our elected officials' offices to become isolation booths. No outside influences will be tolerated. No fraternizing, no lobbyists, no political favors and bartering, no way. Let’s call this law the
“Clean Conscious Act”.
I will even add a referendum called the ‘Voters Choice Act” Should an elected official manage to stay in office under the prior provisions, he would qualify for unlimited terms.
This would be the best legislation any voter ever got to vote on. Cost to voters? Priceless!
(Lisa Cerda is a contributor to CityWatch, a community activist, Chair of Tarzana Residents Against Poorly Planned Development, and former Tarzana Neighborhood Council board member.) –cw
Tags: Lisa Cerda, referendum, laws, vote, elected, public officials
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 47
Pub: June 12, 2012
