I saw the future and it was awesome

Six years ago, however, that was not exactly the case. Back in 2010, when my oldest of two boys was just seven weeks old I wrote:

Having entered the world of parenthood I find myself wondering more and more often about the future that awaits my son. This led me to that very simple question above [are you optimistic about the future] and as I asked myself, I came to realize that it only mattered so much as to what I believed. It was far more important as to what our society as whole thought. It is our shared belief that is critical since we — as a collective — ultimately shape the future.

At the time, I was incredibly optimistic, and a poll showed that a significant number of Americans were too. Yet I did have a growing concern:

Right now there is a big tension between having incredible social connectivity and yet almost zero civic connectivity. Not that it is completely impossible to have some civic connectivity now, but more often than not we have no idea what our government representatives support and they, in turn, are often uninformed of their constituents concerns.

After explaining the need to stop sugar coating the problems with Congress, I’d love to see a poll of those same optimists today. Yet despite the bitter state we are in, I personally remain very optimistic about our future.

In solving any issue, the first step is to simply admit there is a problem. Fortunately — thanks to the NH Rebellion — every single presidential candidate is now on the record acknowledging the problems with money in politics. So you can check off box number one.

The second step is to understand why there is a problem. For that, the good folks at Issue One have put together an incredibly detailed look into the mechanisms behind private campaign finance and corruption. Many of these same mechanisms are now also in a mathematical model that is helping us to understand how — since the sixties — we went from a representative democracy to a near total oligarchy. With a bit more research and careful explanation, I think we can check box number two off as well.

The third and final step then is to explore and select solutions. That is where we are today. The last step in a very long march, which is why I am still optimistic. We are finally nearing the finish line!

So how awesome would a post-reform world look? Here is my take:

First recall that all (good) democracies — including representative democracies — are founded on the principle that as citizens, all are created equal. Sure, by other measures we may not always be equal, but as citizens we each get just one equal vote. No vote counts more, no vote counts less.

That’s why in the future — citizens of voting age are automatically enrolled. Polls are modern and fast — with no more hour-long lines, even after turnout surges. There is also just the right amount of technology to make voting both simple and secure, while remaining fully auditable.

When it comes to voting choices, instead of just one pre-selected candidate per district rigged to keep 85% of the seats “safe”, voters have a wide range of candidates to choose from. A range that includes independent and minor parties that no longer run the risk of being “spoilers,” because of the smart combination of multi-member districts and ranked choice voting.

Finally, to elect the best possible representatives, hundreds of new outsider candidates across the U.S. are able to run without depending on private funding as a prerequisite to getting a shot at serving the public. Instead, every voter is using a special democracy debit card to both secure voting booths and have a say over how a few tax dollars are spent by supporting only candidates of their choice.

Instead of spending 30–70 percent of their time chasing down rich donors, representatives have much more time to focus on their constituents and crucial policy decisions. The result is legislation focused on the good of the nation, and no longer just the interests of funders.

Sound expensive? Compared to the $4.4 trillion cost of wasteful cronyism, it is a bargain we are happy to pay after every single house race is covered when in the first year, voters use less than $25 to fund candidates of their choosing. The more people that participate, the lower the amount needed.

With the ability to void/refund contributions within twenty-four hours, there is also no market for fraud. Combined with the good credit card controls already in place and all the other reforms, the integrity of U.S. elections lead the world and America is once again a beacon for democracy.

More importantly the future for my children is free of corruption and free to be awesome. No part of these changes is fiction. Every reform I discussed could be passed right now without touching the Constitution.

So in 2016, let’s check off that final box. Visit EqualCitizens.US to help us get started.

Bruce Skarin is the founder of EqualCitizens.US, a nonpartisan project to crowdsource three reforms by August 2016. Follow him on Twitter.