About Us

If government OF the people is to be government FOR the people, we must have GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE!

A three-item True-False test:

  1. Money has corrupted our political system.
  2. Both major parties have been corrupted.
  3. There is nothing we can do about it.

The answer key:

  1. True.
  2. True.
  3. False.

Our political system is broken and dysfunctional.  Critical problems go unaddressed because of partisan gridlock and the control over our government exercised by corporate interests and plutocrats.  

Our Constitutional system of checks and balances, combined with the difficult process for amending the Constitution, makes reform difficult and nearly impossible.  Nearly…

The first step in the process of reforming our political system is putting proportional representation in place in as many states as possible, using the initiative.

Considering the fact that very few Americans are familiar with either proportional representation or the initiative, some education will be required.  This web site is a good place to start.

The initiative is a powerful form of direct democracy that allows citizens in 24 states to propose and pass legislation and/or amendments to state constitutions without the involvement or approval of a state legislature or governor.  

The states with some form of initiative are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The initiative process give citizens in these states a viable means for beginning the process of breaking the duopoly and giving voters a broader range of candidates and political parties from which to choose.

The process is easier in some states than others.  Some states have fewer restrictions on what can be done through the initiative.  Descriptions of the process in each state can be found in the pages under the parent page “The Initiative Process.”

Proportional Representation

There are three reforms that are critical to making our political system more genuinely democratic: proportional representation (in state legislatures), ranked-choice voting (for executive offices), and a public financing option for candidates (and voters).

We have chosen to focus on proportional representation because it has the greatest impact and, by leading to the election of state legislatures that genuinely represent the will of the people, makes all other reforms and other critical legislation much easier to pass.

If you are not familiar with proportional representation, you are not alone. Although it is the most common form of government in democracies around the world, it is not a form of government that has been utilized in the United States.  You can learn all about it on this website.

We will be working together on coordinated campaigns with groups that are doing petition drives for ranked-choice voting, public financing of elections and other legislation favored by a majority of voters.

Government by the People is a non-partisan political action committee designed to use the initiative to reform our political system by making it more genuinely democratic.

Our plan to supercharge the initiative process by recruiting a volunteer army of Citizen Legislators to form Citizen Legislatures in states with the initiative.

In any state where the required number of people are willing to work gathering signatures on petitions to put reform proposals on the ballot, we can enact the needed reforms.  We can establish a government of, by, and for the people.  And we can’t be stopped by the defenders of the corrupt, dysfunctional system that is currently in place.

Calls to Action

If you would like join our volunteer army, simply sign on to be a Citizen Legislator, it is as simple as clicking on the “Elect yourself” tab in the sidebar. We need your name and either an email address, cell phone number, or both, in order to facilitate communication.  Any additional information you provide is helpful, but not required.

Electing yourself to be a Citizen Legislator indicates an interest on your part in bringing proportional representation to your state.  If you would like to take an active role in gathering signatures, organizing and promoting events, and/or recruiting additional Citizen Legislators in your state, check the box at the bottom of the form to “Volunteer.” Additional details about our plan can be found on the “Our Action Plan” page on this website.

If you do not live in a state with the initiative, but would like to support our efforts, there are ways that you can help: phone banking, sharing information on social media, encouraging friends and family to visit this web site, or by making a financial contribution.

If you would like to make a financial contribution, click on “Contribute Today.”

If you’ve had enough of politics-as-usual, elect yourself to one of our Citizen Legislatures. 

(Privacy notice: Your contact information will not be shared with, or sold to, any other organizations or individuals.  You will not be bombarded with endless requests for financial contributions.  We will communicate with you regarding when and where our petitions can be signed and facilitate approval voting to determine which additional ballot measures we endorse and support in coordinated campaigns.)