PETITION TO
SAVE OUR ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader
Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Of The House
cc:
Former President George W. Bush
Former President Barack Obama
Dear Honorable Leaders:
Nothing is more critical right now than strengthening confidence in our electoral process, and thereby, our democracy. External interference and internal doubts in the forthcoming elections will erode confidence in American democracy and its institutions.
We believe you have the foresight to understand that in the midst of the current pandemic, we are facing the possibility of delayed election results. Noting the thriving conspiracy theories on social media, we suggest that the need to build confidence in our democratic norms and practices is urgent and necessary.
This petition has been inspired by multiple editorials in the conservative and liberal media. However, it builds on the suggestion of a scholar from the conservative think-tank the American Enterprise Institute, which proposed the names of former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to lead a bipartisan commission with authority to monitor the election process as a confidence-building measure.
We would like Congress to establish this commission as soon as possible, and to recruit both former presidents to lead, acknowledging that they enjoy favorable standing among Americans that could help us all avoid deeper disruption to our democratic system.