Inauguration Gives America a Fresh Start

Already the nation needs a fresh do-over

The nation needs a fresh start. The new year has already brought the country extremes of drama, fears, and hope with its three highly charged events: Impeachment, Insurrection, and Inauguration. Few could have guessed of such an agenda. Few would have wanted to.

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Biden sets a new tone

As the smoke literally cleared from the steps of the capitol and bunting adorned its walls, Biden caught the nation’s attention. Stefan Becket, Grace Segers, Kathryn Watson, Melissa Quinn and Caroline Linton, writing for CBS News, reported that, President Biden takes office, moving quickly to implement agenda. They quote him:

This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause. The cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. … Democracy is precious, democracy is fragile, and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.

Bill George, senior fellow at Harvard Business School, writing for Fortune, itemizes President Biden’s immediate goals in his article: A 6-point agenda for a New America under President Biden. The list is aggressive with a wide reach:

  1. Rebuild America’s frontline workforce
  2. Improve our infrastructure
  3. Expand health care access and preparedness
  4. Address racial justice and immigration
  5. Act on climate science
  6. Expand R & D and advanced manufacturing

Bill George adds that:

President Biden’s inauguration represents the dawn of a new age—one many Americans are eager to begin.

A fresh start is a reality, a promise, a challenge

CNN reported the full poem by the youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman’s poem that she recited at the inauguration. It’s a poem rooted in our nation’s reality and firm in its aspiration.

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Ms. Gorman explains the demand of our fresh start with:

When day comes, we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid.
The new dawn blooms as we free it;
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.

While many Trump supporters still yearn for a rebellion, most of America is ready for a fresh change. The people want things to get done. They want their country to be secure. Perhaps, especially now, they are eager for calm.

And so, the new administration takes its place and America begins again.

All Votes Matter! provides a fresh start

Equal Voice Voting (EVV), is also looking forward to a fresh start. A new book has recently been published, entitled: All Votes Matter!

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Available at iUniverse, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

The Electoral College always fails to deliver voting results that reflect the will of the people. This book reveals the source of the failure and what can be done to remedy the situation. The remedy, called Equal Voice Voting (EVV), retains the proportional voting process set forth in the Electoral College. It ends the voting disenfranchisement (vote suppression) experienced in every presidential election which sets aside tens of millions of ballots without representation.

EVV, a politically nonpartisan approach, ensures every vote affects the election result and every viable candidate gains representation. The U.S. Constitution is honored, states retain their independent sovereignty within our republic, and the voting process checks and balances are retained – just as the Founding Fathers intended.

All Votes Matter! provides a historical look at the Electoral College, examines its basic principles, and provides the results of an in-depth analysis of the previous 16 presidential elections (1960 – 2020) to prove EVV’s validity. It shows that the state-by-state voting results over those 16 elections would have closely adhered to the popular voting results if EVV had been used. A comparison is made of EVV to the nationwide popular voting and National Popular Vote Interstate Compact approaches promoted by others, showing how those two solutions would fail to serve our nation well.

All Votes Matter! shows how the Equal Voice Voting remedy can be realized without requiring a U.S. Constitutional amendment nor an interstate compact. The book emphasizes how vital the voice of the people (our votes) is to our democracy and how we can secure a fairer and more equal voting representation in our presidential elections. All Votes Matter! encourages all of us to become engaged in presidential election reform to truly help preserve our democracy.

All Votes Matter! Enjoys prestigious endorsements

Gerald Brown, PhD, former Director, L.P. Cookingham Institute of Public Affairs, School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City, explains:

Controversy swirls around the Electoral college. Twice in the last generation it has awarded the Presidency to a candidate with a minority of the popular vote. Strong voices call for it to be reconstructed. Is it obsolete? Is it fair? Should the rules be updated? What are the facts? What are the options? This well researched book is a ‘must read’ for anyone seriously interested in electoral reform. Jerry Spriggs concisely summarizes the issues surrounding the Electoral College, suggests a positive way forward and marshals substantial factual analysis to support his argument.

William H. Denney, Ph.D., ASQ Fellow, Organizational Excellence Assessor, International Consultant, adds:

It’s important to understand how we got here from there. Why did our founders think we needed the Electoral College? What does it mean to have a “fair” election? Why doesn’t your vote matter? How can we change that? What can we do to end our quadrennial chaos and Presidential election disfunction? These are the issues explored and questions answered by Jerry Spriggs in this powerful book about one of the most misunderstood and divisive aspects of our American Democracy.

Jim Mattis, JD (retired); former Assistant Attorney General, Oregon Dept. of Justice; former President of the Oregon Law Institute; and Legal Consultant, Bureau of Governmental Research & Services, University of Oregon, adds:

Anyone concerned about improving America’s voting process should find Jerry’s book a refreshing read. … His is a fresh voice, a balanced scientific approach, and an easy read. Jerry is the epitome of the informed citizen that the founder’s said America will always need if the union of states is be perfected.

A new year has begun. It’s time to start fresh.

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By Jerry Spriggs and the Equal Voice Voting Team