A constitution designed to preserve slavery now undermines our democracy

America’s original sin, slavery, continues to define our society and political institutions to this day. This is because the U.S. Constitution, which was designed to preserve slavery, now undermines our democracy.

If Americans believe in democracy — and one of our two major political parties, the Party of Trump fka the Republican Party, decidedly does not — we must move to amend the Constitution to remove the lingering vestiges of slavery and usher in a revival of American democracy.

Voting is a privilege of citizenship under the Constitution. There is no express guarantee in the Constitution that the franchise to vote is a fundamental constitutional right. This has allowed the states to disenfranchise and to discriminate against its citizens denying them their vote in a myriad of creative ways. An amendment guaranteeing the franchise to vote is a fundamental constitutional right is necessary to fight GOP voter suppression efforts.

The electoral college is a lingering vestige of slavery. There is no direct popular vote election of the president and vice president, as in every other modern democracy in the world. Americans vote for electors who then vote to elect the president and vice president. There have been five United States presidential elections in which the electoral college winner lost the popular vote, twice since 2000, favoring Republicans. It is long past time to amend the Constitution to repeal the electoral college and adopt the direct popular vote election of president and vice president as in every other modern democracy in the world. Republicans are likely to oppose repeal of the electoral college because they have lost the popular vote in six of the last seven elections.

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Political Calendar: Week of October 7, 2018

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Political Calendar for the Week of October 7, 2018:

Continuing: Oktoberfest on Mount Lemmon, 10300 Ski Run Road, Mt. Lemmon (Tucson). Free admission. $5 parking and highway fees. Enjoy a festival of German food and music in the forest at Mount Lemmon Ski Valley during the last two weekends in September and first two weekends in October: Sept. 22-23, Sept. 29-30, Oct. 6-7, and Oct. 13-14, 2018. No dogs admitted, please. For more information please call (520) 576-1321.

Monday, October 8: Columbus Day.

Monday, October 8, Noon: Democrats of Greater Tucson luncheon, Dragon’s View Restaurant (400 N. Bonita, South of St. Mary’s Road between the Freeway and Grande Avenue, turn South at Furr’s Cafeteria). New price: buffet lunch is $10.00 cash, $12 credit; just a drink is $3.50. Multiple Speakers on Ballot Initiatives. Next Week: Kalie Pawlik on “Yes on Prop 127.”

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