Headstash

All About Americans Elect

The American political landscape of today is one littered with corporate and non-profit lobbyists, and thus, politicians are becoming increasingly beholden to special interests rather than the issues that matter to their constituents.

Thanks to Citizens United v. FEC (a recent Supreme Court decision stating that corporations, in essence, are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution translating corporate money into free speech), young people have grown increasingly cynical of the political process.

When you combine the increased corporate spending with an antiquated Electoral College system that is plagued by bureaucracy, the outlook for real representation as afforded by our Constitution looks bleak. Or does it?

Enter Americans Elect, a non-profit organization that according to its website is seeking to be, “The first nonpartisan nomination, using the Internet to break the gridlock in Washington, open up the political process and give every single voter – Democrat, Republican or Independent – the power to nominate a presidential ticket in 2012.”

[FIND FAQs, organizational information and how you can get involved via Americans Elect's official website.

Photo Courtesy of Americans Elect's Facebook

And while those cynical youths may be looking for a catch, with Americans Elect, there’s no fine print. The goal of the organization is to nominate a presidential candidate through an online campaign that doesn’t answer to special interests or corporate lobbyists, but instead focuses on the issues that are important to people across the political spectrum.

Through an online campaign, millions of registered voters across America have already signed up and voiced their concerns over the most pressing challenges facing our nation. The word campaign is used loosely here, as Americans Elect has stated that they won’t be doing any actual “campaigning” for the candidate who is selected once the presidential primary process runs its course over the next couple of months.

Americans Elect has collected over 2.5 million signatures to date, and are well on their way to getting the people’s candidate on the ballot in every state.

According to the “Fan DNA Project,” an extensive survey conducted by the aptly named, HeadCount, another non-partisan, non-profit voter registration group, 71 percent of respondents said they think the current state of America is “messed up and we better do something about it.”

[FOLLOW Americans Elect on Facebook.]

The real issue is that most young people today don’t see a legitimate way to participate in the political process.

"There's no question that people, especially young people, are pretty dissatisfied with both political parties,” HeadCount co-founder Andy Bernstein said. “And in the Internet era where people can become celebrities overnight with a good YouTube clip, you have to believe that the right third-party or non-party candidate could have a real and immediate impact. It's not a question of if, but of when."

It seems that perhaps, thanks to Americans Elect, that time is now.

 

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For more information on American Elect including FAQs, organizational information and how you can get involved visit their official website.