- Prospective jurors take an oath prior to jury selection where they determine guilt for violations of society's laws.
- Witnesses in a trial take an oath to tell the truth so jurors can better determine guilt or innocence.
- Men and women take an oath when joining the military to defend our citizens and our Constitution as directed by elected officials.
- Deputy Voter Registrars take an oath of office before they are allowed to register voters.
- Immigrants, who earn citizenship, take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of their new country. Most new citizens then register to vote after taking their oath of citizenship.
- Lawyers take an oath when they are licensed to practice law. They will either defend citizens accused of violating society's laws or prosecute accused citizens.
- Judges, at all levels, take an oath before they can moderate trials of accused citizens.
- Law enforcement officers take an oath to enforce our laws.
- Elected officials take an oath as they take office before they can write or enforce society's laws.
- States require oaths for hired officials who administer the election process and count election votes.
- Appointed/ratified officials of the government take an oath of office.
- The elected US President takes an oath defined in the US Constitution.
Oath of Citizenship:
As, listed above, we have many oaths for everyone involved in our political/electoral process except for the largest group of participants: citizens who vote. We need a national oath of citizenship for all citizens who participate in the election process by voting. This will unify them more fully with our election process and those already taking such an oath.
Just as all those who are elected or who control elections take an oath to support our Constitution, those who vote in those elections should also take a oath of citizenship. This oath would closely align voters as participants in a democracy - not slaves or serfs ruled by dictators. This oath would remind us of the unifying vision represented by our Constitution unlike pledging allegiance to a nebulous, factious, personally-conjured nation.
Unified Vision:
This citizenship oath would first be taken when registering to vote and would be reaffirmed during every city, county, state and national election. It should also be required for delegates voting during political conventions. Here's a suggested oath:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will endeavor to "form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity," and that I take this oath freely and without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion.
Democratic Societies Need a Unifying Vision:
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Preserving it takes more than a willingness to die for a variable figment of the imagination - a nation. A democratic society requires participating, voting-age, citizens in significant numbers. Preserving our democracy takes political participation that should also include a citizenship oath for voters. This oath is similar to oaths for those who already participate in our political processes. This broadly shared, cohesive, oath, with an excerpt from the preamble of our Constitution, can provide a periodic reminder of the unifying vision represented by our Constitution.
On the one hand, patriotism divides citizens into multiple factions based on variable notions of a nation and its history. On the other, a citizenship oath could more effectively unify voting citizens with all the others in our democratic election process to focus more citizens on forming a more perfect union.
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