O & # 39; Rourke Proposes New Mandate Limits and Electoral Reforms

Beto O'Rourke on Wednesday called for a constitutional amendment limiting the term of office of Supreme Court judges and members of Congress, as part of a broad range of electoral and government reforms that the Texan Democrat committed to continue if he were elected president.

In addition to limiting the term of office, Mr. O. Rourke is pushing for laws to reduce the influence of large corporations' money on political life and increase voter turnout, in particular by making election day a national holiday.

History continues below

The former congressman is expected to highlight his project at a Wednesday meeting today in Atlanta.

O'Rourke has long focused on electoral reform issues, both in Congress and during his presidential campaign. He said for months that, if elected, he would sign a new law on the right to vote, try to end gerrymandering and introduce automatic national voter registration the same day. The plan it unveiled Wednesday added weight to this rhetoric, with presidential candidates continuing to issue policy proposals early in the 2020 campaign.

O 'Rourke, co-chair of the Congressional Limits Caucus, said he would support a constitutional amendment limiting members of the House to six terms and senators to two terms, while creating a term of office. 18 years for the Supreme Court – after which judges be allowed to sit at federal appeals courts.

His campaign said such term limits would help "clear the way for new leaders to integrate" and serve.

Mr. O'Rourke also said that a series of proposals relating to voter registration and access to the vote could help register more than 50 million voters and guarantee that 35 million new voters will vote in 2024.

Criticizing the voter identity laws for reducing turnout, especially for people of color, Mr. O. Rourke asked Congress to pass a law allowing unidentified people to vote after have signed an affidavit of identity. He called for an expansion of early voting, postal voting and same-day voter registration, and called for legislation to limit states 'ability to purge voters' files.

In addition, Mr. O. Rourke's campaign announced that he would introduce a bill to amend the Voting Rights Act "to make it clear that even the seemingly neutral electoral regulations of race are illegal when they have a disproportionate impact on racial minorities. " Resources of Justice "towards vigorous and aggressive protection of the right to vote, including the repression of draconian laws on the identification of voters and the prevention of politically motivated politicians from purging voter lists".

The proposals come as O'Rourke seeks to regain momentum in the Democratic primary. It is 4% in the latest Morning Consult survey.

Like many Democrats, O'Rourke does not accept campaign contributions from business ventures. He said on Wednesday that he would call for legislation banning CAP contributions to campaigns, forcing CAPs to disclose donations of any amount and limiting their contributions to the issuance of PACs, inaugural committees and post-retirement foundations .

He called for the prohibition of federal lobbying by anyone who held a federal elected office and the prohibition of federal lobbying to senior officials for a period of up to six years.

O'Rourke also proposed making modest campaign contributions tax-deductible and granting an amount equal to $ 500. He also said that he would also work with Congress to provide federal funding to states to improve cybersecurity measures, while asking online platforms to disclose the sponsors of the ads. policies on their sites.

"We face some of the greatest challenges of our lives, and we can not solve them with half measures or only half of our people – it will take us all," O'Rourke said in a statement. "The only way forward is to give every American the power to vote – and that those who have always been drawn from our democracy can make their voices heard so that this country can live up to its promises and its potential. "