The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 31, 2023
*Disclosure – Host Brian Beihl is volunteering with Rick Hubbard’s Walking to Fix Our Democracy effort.*
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
Thursday, August 31st, Vermonter Rick Hubbard will walk the remaining 6 miles to the Round House, New Mexico’s capital building in Santa Fe. At 82 years old, he could be enjoying retirement, but instead, he’s walking across the United States to fix Democracy.
Hubbard says that he started his Walking to Fix Democracy project because our republic’s democratic systems has been warped to elect representatives who put special interests and party politics first, and have forgotten their duty to work for the common good.
Hubbard says, “We CAN make our political system fairer, more inclusive, more competitive, and more representative. Our walk is a nonpartisan effort to make the case in communities across the U.S. that fixing our democracy first is the quickest and most effective way to unlock progress on issues important to us all: Climate change, health care, education, infrastructure, the freedom to vote, campaign financing, and much more.”
He pushes ranked choice voting, open primaries and small donor “democracy dollars” campaign financing as fixes to focus attention on voters instead of special interests.
Hubbard speaks at a rally on the east side of the capital at noon on Friday, September 1st hosted by New Mexico pro-voter groups. He’ll continue his walk into Colorado and Nebraska, and hopes to arrive in Washington, DC by the inauguration in 2025.
We have links to Rick’s website at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org and will continue to follow his progress. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
VT Digger – (Opinion) Rick Hubbard: Our political system is broken, and we need to fix it
Walking to Fix Our Democracy – Rick Hubbard’s Walking Route
Walking to Fix Our Democracy – Problems & Fixes
Represent.Us – Basics of Ranked Choice Voting
FairVote – Open and Closed Primaries
Brennan Center for Justice – Small Donor Public Financing Explained
Groups Taking Action:
Walking to Fix Our Democracy, Represent.Us New Mexico, Common Cause NM, Indivisible Santa Fe, Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America
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