Action Plan

The work of making our government our own

"The best defense is a good offense."

Democracy is under assault in America (and around the world). Democracy is always under assault – anytime and anywhere it manages to take root and blossom. And while we absolutely must do what we can to fight off attacks on democracy, we need to do more than fight off attacks, we must score victories for democracy. An adage common to sports and warfare apples here – when it comes to defending democracy, "the best defense is a good offense". We need to work proactively to get pro-democracy reforms enacted.

Perfecting Direct Democracy

Perfect Democracy Amendments will perfect direct democracy by making it easier for citizens to call referendums and use the initiative in states that already have provisions for them in their constitutions and by extending the use of referendums and the initiative to the federal government and to the states that do not yet provide for them.

Learn More About Perfect Democracy Amendments

Perfecting Representative Democracy

Implementing systems of Proxies for Citizens that ensure that every Politically Active Citizen is represented in Congress and in their state legislature by someone who votes as they would vote.

A proxy is a form authorizing someone to vote on your behalf. A system of Proxies for Citizens will allow anyone who is eligible to vote to assign a proxy to any one member of each legislative body that governs them and then gives each member of that legislative body a number of votes equal to the number of proxies they have been assigned, plus one for themselves.

Learn More About Proxies for Citizens

Uniting in Support of Our Ideals will Reunite Americans

These reforms are foundational and transformative. Perfect Democracy Amendments give the people the ultimate power within a government. Implementing systems of Proxies for Citizens will transform Congress and state legislatures into truly democratic institutions.

A tsunami of anger, fear, and hatred has been pumped into our political system for decades now, by media outlets seeking to maximize profits, and knowing that ratings drive profit. Conflict and competition attract far more listeners and viewers than calm, rational discussions focused on communication, compromise, and building consensus.

In a True Democracy, where Politically Active Citizens vote on issues, either directly through referendums, or indirectly through systems of Proxies for Citizens, winning depends on convincing those with opposing viewpoints to change their minds. You cannot do that by attacking them, calling them names, or lying about them.

The campaign to make America a Perfect Democracy will be a Joyful Rebellion. Nearly all Americans believe strongly in Democracy. We don't have to change minds, we only have to agree upon clear a definition of democracy, develop a shared understanding of Democracy, And build support for the reforms needed to make America a Perfect Democracy.

We don't have to get angry. We don't have to spread fear and hatred. We simply need to join forces in support of the reforms needed. We can be happy and joyous warriors for the noblest cause of all - living up to the ideals upon which our nation was founded.

The Power of One Champion of Democracy

A single Champion of Democracy among the members of a legislative body can introduce the legislation needed to put the form of a perfect democracy in place. A single Champion of Democracy among the citizens of a state that already has provisions for the initiative in its constitution can file initiative petitions for pro-democracy reforms.

Getting pro-democracy reforms drafted and introduced in Congress and state legislatures will make it easy for voters to identify Champions of Democracy. That, in turn, will help us identify the districts where we need to recruit Champions of Democracy to run against incumbents who do not support pro-democracy reforms.

The campaign to enact these reforms will be waged state by state

The details of what needs to be done and the best strategy for getting these reforms enacted will vary from state to state and at the federal level.

There are two keys to success that will be the same in every state. (1) Political Activists and pro-democracy political organizations must make their support for candidates for public offices contingent upon a candidate’s support for Perfect Democracy Amendments and/or Proxies for Citizens. And (2) We must conduct a Civic Education Project in every state to help voters develop a shared understanding of democracy and understand and appreciate the many benefits that will flow from amending constitutions to add provisions for referendums, the initiative, and Proxies for Citizens.

Once a majority of the voters in a state learn to use support for these two pro-democracy reforms to identify Champions of Democracy and elect them to a majority of the seats in their state legislature, our movement will be too big to fail. And once referendums, the initiative, and once referendums, the initiative, and Proxies for Citizens are in place in a state legislature, all legislation that has the support of a majority of the people will be passed into law.

Once a majority of the voters in a majority of the states learn to use support for these two pro-democracy reforms to identify and vote for Champions of Democracy among candidates for Congress, we should be able to get Proxies for Citizens implemented

Article V of the U. S. Constitution provides two methods for proposing amendments: by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress or through a convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Regardless of which method is utilized, proposed amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Along with the fact that members of Congress are elected by voters at the state level, this means that enacting pro-democracy amendments will require a majority of the citizens in a super-majority of states to unite in support of democracy. When we achieve that level of support, our movement will be too big to fail.

Amendment Process - State by State

Early successes are most likely in states where the constitution can already be amended through the initiative.

There are eighteen states where the state constitution can already be amended through the initiative process. Those states are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota.

Our primary focus in those states should be on using the initiative process to enact both a Perfect Democracy Amendment (that simply provides for initiative petitions to be signed electronically through Online Accounts for Politically Active Citizens) and a Proxies for Citizens Amendment.

Getting either one, or both, of those proposed amendments on the ballot and approved by voters will make it easier to get all the other reforms needed to make a state a perfect democracy enacted. It will also make it possible to get all the other legislation supported by a majority of the people enacted.

The details of getting proposals on the ballot vary from state to state but require collecting a lot of signatures by a deadline in every state. We need to get petitions drafted and filed as soon as possible. We need to begin organizing campaigns to gather signatures in those states.

Petitions for a Perfect Democracy Amendment and a Proxies for Citizens Amendment have already been approved for circulation in Missouri. A campaign to gather the required number of signatures is already underway. If the required number of signatures are collected by May 3, 2026, these proposals will be on the ballot in Missouri on November 3, 2026.

Learn More About the Campaign in Missouri

In other states we our initial focus must be on implementing Proxies for Citizens:

There are eight states that have various, less powerful, combinations of referendums and the initiative already in place. Two states (Maryland and New Mexico) only have provisions for referendums. Six states (Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) have the initiative for statutes and referendums, but no initiative for constitutional amendments.

There is no provision for the initiative in the other twenty-four states or for the federal government.

Our primary focus in states where the state constitution cannot be amended through the initiative should be getting systems of Proxies for Citizens implemented - as a constitutional amendment, as legislation, or simply as a rule adopted by either chamber in a state legislature.

It should be easier to find support for Proxies for Citizens among the incumbents in state legislatures because, unlike Perfect Democracy Amendments (which shift power from politicians to the people), proxies shift power to the people indirectly, through the members of a representative assembly, and shift power within a representative assembly to the members who do the best job of identifying the concerns of the people of each state and draft and introduce (or cosponsor) legislation addressing those concerns.

In all fifty states:

As we gain the support of a majority of the people in each state for pro-democracy reforms, more and more states will elect Champions of Democracy to both houses of Congress. Once Champions of Democracy have been elected to Congress and/or state legislatures in two-thirds of the states, we will be able to amend Article V of the U. S. Constitution to provide for referendums and the initiative.

At the Federal Level: Amend Article V

A system of Proxies for Citizens could be implemented in the U. S. House of Representatives with simple legislation or even through the rules of the House. It will not be possible to implement a system of Proxies for Citizens in the U. S. Senate without a constitutional amendment because the Constitution stipulates that each senator has “one vote” and that no state can be denied “equal suffrage” without its consent.

There would be some value in having a system of Proxies for Citizens in the House, even without extending it to the Senate. It would bring the House of Representatives in line with the intentions of the Framers of our Constitution by making it a more accurate “portrait of the people at large”. Assuming, as is likely, that a great deal of legislation favored by a majority of Americans would be passed by the House but not the Senate, or vetoed by the president, or declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. This, again, is exactly the way the Framers of our Constitution intended the system to work. If the system were to work that way, support for removing the “checks” on the will of the people would build and eventually Champions of Democracy would outnumber the false friends and true enemies of democracy in Congress.

Our primary focus and top priority at the federal level, however, must be to amend Article V of the Constitution of the United States to include provisions for referendums and the initiative. That will put the form of a perfect democracy in place nationally and make it considerably easier to enact additional pro-democracy reforms and will also make it possible to get all the other legislation supported by a majority of the people enacted.

Which Side Are You On?

Politics is a Team Sport and a Numbers Game

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party have long been considered the primary “teams” in our electoral and political systems. Although the assault on democracy is being led by Republicans in Congress and state governments and the few pro-democracy reforms that have been proposed have been introduced by Democrats, it is important to understand that there are a great many Republican voters and some Republicans holding public office who believe in democracy. There are some Democrats who don’t.

The “teams” in a referendum on democracy, properly defined and understood, are Champions of Democracy and the false friends and true enemies of democracy.

Our “winner-take-all” political system, with single member districts and plurality winners, focuses most of our attention on individual candidates in a head-to-head competition to win seats in legislatures or executive offices. Candidates routinely talk about issues of concern to voters in a manner that implies that, if they are elected, the legislation voters want enacted will be enacted. And yet regardless of what candidates win, very little, if any, legislation is ever enacted that effectively addresses voters’ concerns.

That is because politics in America is a numbers game. It takes 218 votes in the House and 51 votes in the Senate to enact legislation. As long as the Senate keeps the filibuster in place, 60 votes are necessary to pass legislation in most cases. If the president vetoes a bill, it takes 290 votes in the House and 67 in the Senate to override the veto. It also takes 290 votes in the House and 67 in the Senate to propose an amendment to the Constitution, which must then be ratified by a majority vote in three-fourths of the states (38 states). And there are enough members in both major parties who have been corrupted by the need to raise enormous amounts of money constantly to keep any legislation opposed by corporate interests or tax-averse billionaires from being enacted.

More and more of the money being raised and spent in our elections is “dark money” funneled through “Super PACs” that are legally prohibited from coordinating with candidates but routinely do so with impunity. Candidates know which Super PACs are spending money on their behalf and which megadonors are contributing the dark money. And those mega-donors have considerable influence with most legislators.

The corporatists and plutocrats who currently control nearly all the levers of power in America will not give up without a fight. They will spend a lot of money in support of the false friends and true enemies of democracy who hold office or are running for office, but we have them outnumbered. Super-PACs may routinely outspend us, but if we unite in support of democracy, we can outvote them.

Perfect Democracy is a 501(c)4 “Super-PAC” and we are raising as much money as possible so that we can counter the misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies the false friends and true enemies of democracy are sure to disseminate in their efforts to hold onto power. But Perfect Democracy is, at heart, a very different type of PAC – Politically Active Citizens. We are organizing pro-democracy citizens and organizations into a broad and inclusive grassroots movement, united in support of the reforms that will put the form of a perfect democracy in place, and in support of the Champions of Democracy who draft, introduce, and/or cosponsor the legislation needed to enact those reforms. When we unite in support of Champions of Democracy and the democratic ideals upon which our nation was founded, our pro-democracy movement will be "too big to fail".

The Work of Making Our Government Our Own

Each of the groups that make up the Pro-Democracy Movement has an important role to play:

Politically Active Citizens

Archimedes famously said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” A Perfect Democracy (direct democracy) is a long enough lever. Politically Active Citizens (by which I mean people who contribute time and/or money to political candidates, causes, and organizations) are the fulcrum.

Politically Active Citizens are the key to organizing the broad-based and inclusive movement that will be needed to overcome the opposition of the false friends and true enemies of democracy and enact the reforms needed to Make America a Perfect Democracy. We are the link between pro-democracy candidates and voters. When we unite in support of direct democracy, we will change the world.

Those of us who contribute time and/or money to candidates for office tend to have one or more issues or causes that we care about deeply. We work through candidates and organizations in support of the causes and issues we care about. And we are routinely and continually disappointed when the legislation we actively support fails to get enacted even though it has the support of a majority of voters.

We need to realize that we are not likely to see meaningful action on any of the many issues that have popular support until we fix our rigged, corrupted, dysfunctional, and anti-democratic political system. Once we have made America a true democracy, we will see meaningful action on ALL of the issues that concern us. We need to help voters understand that as well.

Those of us who contribute time and/or money to candidates for office need to make it clear that we will only support and work for candidates who support pro-democracy reforms. We need to identify and support CHAMPIONS OF DEMOCRACY who are on the ballot for every seat in Congress and all 50 state legislatures.

If enough of us withhold our support from incumbents who have not signed on to the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda, that legislation is more likely to be introduced. If enough of us simply refuse to support candidates who do not support democracy, candidates who do support democracy will emerge – and they will have a better chance of winning elections.

Pro-Democracy Incumbents

We need to convince PRO-DEMOCRACY INCUMBENTS to sponsor and cosponsor the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda. And we need to support members of Congress and state legislatures who sponsor pro-democracy legislation, or who sign on as cosponsors, regardless of their party affiliation.

Members of Congress and state legislatures do not ordinarily draft and submit (or co-sponsor) legislation that has no realistic chance of being enacted in a legislative session. We need to find at least one Champion of Democracy in each chamber of Congress and each chamber of every state legislature who will draft and introduce the legislation called for in the Democracy Agenda even if there is little chance of it passing immediately and then encourage other members to sign on as cosponsors. That will make it easy for us to identify the incumbents who are Champions of Democracy and give them our support.

Within our present political system, members of Congress and state legislatures are most likely to respond to requests from their own constituents - the people who can vote for (or against) them. It is, therefore, very important for as many citizens as possible to contact their own senators and representatives to encourage them to draft and introduce the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda.

Pro-Democracy Candidates

When an incumbent running for re-election does not support pro-democracy legislation, we need to do our best to recruit one or more candidates who do support the Democracy Agenda to run in major party primaries. It will be especially important to recruit a candidate for the major party that is dominant in districts that have been gerrymandered to strongly favor one of the two major parties.

We need to encourage every non-incumbent candidate for Congress and state legislatures to post statements of support for the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda on their campaign website and notify us when they have done so. We will be posting links to the appropriate pages on the websites of Champions of Democracy on our website. Our primary focus throughout the election will be on various ways to encourage voters and politically active citizens to visit our website before deciding what candidates to support with their time, money, and votes.

Pro-Democracy Voters

When a majority of the VOTERS in a majority of the congressional and legislative districts in a super-majority of states understand the essential elements that make a nation a true democracy, our movement will be "Too Big to Fail". When voters learn to recognize Champions of Democracy and vote for them, America will be a true democracy. When a majority of voters are well-educated, well-informed, and respect the rights of others, America will be a Perfect Democracy.

Action Plan: Step-by-Step

The process we need to follow varies a bit from state to state and at different levels of government.

Step One: Get legislation drafted and introduced

Members of Congress and state legislatures do not ordinarily draft and submit (or co-sponsor) legislation that has no realistic chance of being enacted in a legislative session. To do so risks losing the financial support of corporate interests and tax-averse billionaires, and consequently risk losing re-election.

We need to find at least one Champions of Democracy in each chamber of Congress and each chamber of every state legislature who will draft and introduce the legislation called for in the Democracy Agenda even if there is little chance of it passing in 2024. That will make it easy for us to identify the incumbents who are Champions of Democracy and give them our support.

At the state level our focus should be on the four foundational reforms (Proxies for Citizens, Perfect Democracy Amendments, and both forms of ranked choice voting (single winner and multiple-member districts).

Step Two: Recruit cosponsors

Once the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda has been introduced, we need to get members of Congress and state legislatures who believe in democracy to make their support the Democracy Agenda clear by signing on as cosponsors to the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda.

Step Three: Recruit Champions of Democracy to run for office

Our goal should be to have at least one candidate who supports the Democracy Agenda on the ballot in every state and district for congressional elections and election to state legislatures.

When an incumbent does not support the Democracy Agenda, we need to do our best to recruit one or more candidates who do support the Democracy Agenda to run in both major party primaries. It will be especially important to recruit a candidate for the major party that is dominant in districts that have been gerrymandered to strongly favor one of the two major parties.

Step Four: Conduct unofficial primaries (as needed)

Except in Maine and Alaska (where ranked choice voting is already in place), when there is more than one candidate in an election who supports the Democracy Agenda and other candidates who do not, we will need to conduct some sort of unofficial primary election to unite behind a single Champion of Democracy to minimize or neutralize the “spoiler effect”.

When an incumbent in Congress supports the Democracy Agenda, they deserve our support across party lines and regardless of their position on other issues. If a challenger has made a clear and firm pledge to support the Democracy Agenda, especially if that challenger is from the opposing major party, voters who are members of one or the other of the two major parties will understandably want to take advantage of that fact to vote for the candidate of their own party.

When a Congressional incumbent does not support the Democracy Agenda, we need to do our best to recruit candidates who do support the Democracy Agenda to run in both major party primaries. It will be especially important to recruit a candidate for the major party that is dominant n districts that have been gerrymandered to strongly favor one of the two major parties.

When the primaries are over, if both major party candidates in a state or district support Democracy Agenda, voters can cast their votes based on other issues. If only one major party candidate who supports democracy is on the ballot, we need to support that candidate even if we disagree with their position on other issues.

When only one major party candidate supports the Democracy Agenda, we need to avoid running or supporting any minor party or independent candidates (except in Maine or Alaska where ranked choice voting has eliminated concerns about the "spoiler effect"). If neither major party candidate supports democracy, if there is more than one minor party or independent candidate who support the Democracy Agenda, we need to identify the candidate with the best chance of winning and unite in support of that candidate.

Within our “winner-take-all” system, with plurality winners and single-member districts, if there is more than one pro-democracy candidate on the ballot in a given state or district, we need to provide some means of uniting in support of one pro-democracy candidate, especially if there is only one antidemocratic candidate on the ballot. In those cases, we must convene a pro-democracy caucus, convention, or unofficial primary election in order to avoid splitting the pro-democracy vote.

Step Five: Civic Education

A pro-democracy political revolution must be a grassroots movement. We must convince a majority of politically active citizens (those who volunteer their time and/or make financial contributions to political candidates, parties, and organizations) to limit their support to Champions of Democracy.

Politically active citizens who knock doors and make phone calls on behalf of candidates need to focus their messaging on building support for pro-democracy reforms (and candidates).

At the Federal Level

A Perfect Democracy Amendment must be our top priority.

George Mason, one of the delegates to the Federal Convention of 1787, pointed out to his fellow delegates that it should be possible to amend the Constitution “in an easy, regular, and Constitutional way” and that “It would be improper to require the consent of the National Legislature (Congress), because they may abuse their power.” Some of the most prominent of our nation's Founders agreed. But a majority of the delegates to the convention voted instead to put an anti-democratic amendment process in place, that is far from “easy”, with super-majority requirements included in both methods provided for in Article V for amending the Constitution.

There is no provision for referendums or the initiative in the Constitution of the United States.

A system of Proxies for Citizens in the U. S. House of Representatives could be implemented by a simple majority vote in the House of Representatives changing the rules of how the House conducts its business. It could be adopted more permanently (and more transparently) by simple legislation. It would not require a constitutional amendment.

Extending the use of proxies to the U. S. Senate would require a constitutional amendment because Article V of the Constitution of the United States includes a provision that "no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate".

There would be some benefit to implementing a system of Proxies for Citizens in the U. S. House of Representatives. It would instantly transform the House into the truly democratic institution it was intended to be. However, with the “check” on the will of the people provided by the Senate still in place, legislation desired by a majority of the people would likely still be blocked consistently.

Our top priority at the federal level, therefore, must be to add a provision for referendums and the initiative to Article V of the Constitution.

There are two methods of amending our Constitution provided for in Article V: Amendments can be proposed by two-thirds of the members of both the House and Senate or the legislatures of two-thirds of the states can call a convention for proposing amendments. Regardless of which method is used to propose amendments, proposed amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Congress may designate either state legislatures or conventions in each state as the “Mode of Ratification”.

There are no details provided in the Constitution, or in any legislation that has been enacted since the Constitution was ratified, regarding how delegates to a Convention would be chosen or how the business of the Convention would be conducted. Absent legislation to provide those details and ensure that delegates to a convention would be chosen democratically, calling a convention to propose amendments risks triggering a constitutional crisis and a convention that could conceivably make America less democratic, rather than more democratic.

We are the Ultimate Rulers of Our Democracy

Enacting pro-democracy reforms will shift power to the people

To exercise our power as “the ultimate rulers of our democracy” we must first unite in support of democracy and in support of Champions of Democracy. We must elect candidates who support the legislation that makes up the Democracy Agenda to a majority of the seats in both houses of Congress and every state legislature. We must temporarily set aside our differences of opinion regarding the wedge issues that divide us (abortion, gun control, gay rights, immigration, taxes, and the proper role of government and make support for pro-democracy legislation our top priority in deciding which candidates to support.

To believe in democracy means to agree that major political decisions (what laws should be enacted, what rights should be secured and protected, and the form of the government) should be made by "the voters of this country"– not by politicians, or Supreme Court justices.

When we unite in support of the ideals upon which our nation was founded, we will find that we, the people, have the power to address the flaws in our political system and become more than a “full democracy”. We can Make America a Perfect Democracy.

There is a long list of critical problems that need to be addressed and issues that need to be resolved in America today. We argue angrily and endlessly about the same issues. We have become bitterly divided. There are solutions that have the support of a solid majority of Americans, but so far, those solutions have not been implemented because within our corrupted, dysfunctional, gridlocked political system, the will of the people does not matter.

Unless and until we make America a true democracy, very little, if any, of the legislation we want enacted will be enacted. Once we succeed in making America a true democracy, all the legislation that has the support of a majority of politically active citizens will be passed into law.

To make America a true democracy, we, the people, must unite – across party lines and despite ideological differences on the issues that divide us. Without abandoning our efforts on the issues we care about, we must make enacting the legislation included in the Democracy Agenda our top priority.

The prospect of making America a perfect democracy should excite and motivate us as much as it scares the rulers of America.

The rulers of America will spend a great deal of money seeking to keep democracy from breaking out. And they will use that money to spread a lot of misinformation and disinformation about the dangers of “mob rule” and the “tyranny of the majority”. Those of us who are excited by the prospect of democracy breaking out need to invest a lot of time (and, yes, some money) educating voters about the many true blessings of pure democracy.

The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: A Citizen's Guide to Making America a Perfect Democracy by Winston Apple.

Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights are Reserved.

This website is paid for by Perfect Democracy - a 501(c)4 political action committee.

Government by the People