Every 4 years when Americans vote for a President, they can vote for or against having a Constitutional Convention. If 51 percent or more of the voters say yes, then 100 delegates, chosen through proportional representation, will be sent to the Constitutional Convention at the U.S. Capitol Building to create a new constitution. Then, if 51 percent or more of the Constitutional Convention delegates approve any new document, the new government will be implemented 4 months later. This orderly process of voters choosing a political party in order to establish which are the 7 largest national political parties, and voters choosing again from the designated list of 7 national parties to determine convention delegates, and the Convention itself will take 23 months, which will be described after the next two paragraphs.
Here is how Proportional Representation can work in the selection of Constitutional Convention delegates: American voters will study and evaluate the platforms and constitutions of the 7 largest national political parties. Each voter will choose one of 7 political parties that he or she most identifies with. Let us pretend for pedagogical purposes that based on a national election, the 100 Constitutional Convention delegates will be composed of these parties and percentages: 20% Republican, 20% Democratic, 15% Libertarian, 15% Constitution Party, 15% Green Party, 10% Socialist, and 5% Communist.
A National Elections Committee, whose 7 executive directors will represent the 7 largest national, political parties, will be established beforehand to guarantee impartial election officials. Local election administrators will be professionalized. The National Elections Committee may use a voter-verified, paper audit trail produced by standardized voting equipment, or it may decide to use paper ballots to prevent corruption. The National Elections Committee will also be responsible for counting and verifying the membership of the national political parties.
The 23-Month Timeline for Creating the New Constitution and Implementing the New Government
If at presidential-election time the American people decide they want a Constitutional Convention, then they will have almost 5 months, from November through April, to officially register with a national political party for this purpose. Websites such as www.politics1.com describe all the known national, political parties. Then during the month of May, no switches can be made as the official count of each party is made and reported by the National Elections Committee.
As a result of the count in May, any national political party that represents at least one percent or more of the nation's eligible voters, but not including the 7 largest national political parties, will participate in national public speeches and debates, held from June through August. These smaller political parties will also share their party platforms and their own proposed constitutions in writing. This policy gives minor parties a chance to be heard.
Then from September through December, the political parties from the top 7 political parties only, as determined 4 months earlier in May, will share their party platforms and proposed constitutions in writing, and they will engage in public speeches and debates.
Then during the second week of January, registered voters will vote to choose just one party from the now designated list of 7 national political parties (these parties were designated during the previous May) to determine the percentages of party delegates at the actual convention.
Let us pretend that the 100 delegates from the top 7 national political parties will be composed of the following parties and numbers at the Constitutional Convention: Republican Party, 20; Democratic Party, 20; Libertarian Party, 15; Green Party, 15; Constitution Party, 15; Socialist Party, 10; and Communist Party, 5.
On March 1, the Constitutional Convention delegates will meet at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. The delegates will work from March through May to create a new constitution that 51 percent or more of the delegates approve. Each of the 7 political parties will vote within their own party to choose one delegate to be the potential chairperson. Then the 100 delegates will choose a Convention chairperson from the slate of 7 candidates (one from each party), using instant-runoff voting.
If the delegates agree on a new constitution with a 51 percent majority before the 3 months elapse, they are encouraged to use the remaining days to hear dissenting voices in the constant effort to revise their document through consensus decision-making in order to get an even higher percentage of approval. If only 50 percent or less of the delegates approve the new constitution after working on it for 3 months, then the proposed document becomes void, and the current constitution remains official.
However, if the new constitution is approved with a 51 percent majority or higher by the end of May, then the Constitutional Convention delegates will determine the specifics as to when and how the new government, based on the new constitution, will be implemented in a safe, orderly, and smooth way on October 1.
Summary of 23-Month Timeline for Creating the new Constitution and Implementing the New Government
November thru April--American voters will examine all national political parties.
Month of May--Voters will have already affiliated themselves with a national political party by the end of April. Now there will be an official count of individuals in each political party. The National Election Committee will announce the results by the end of the month.
June thru August--Public speeches, forums, and written responses from all parties that captured at least 1 percent of the vote, but not including the 7 largest parties.
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