Americans Elect: The Birth of a Movement



With the color wheel above, Americans Elect asks voters
to rank issues from the environment to immigration.

Any national poll today will tell you that Americans are completely dissatisfied with the current system.  Record numbers say the country is "on the wrong track," discontent is mounting about the corrupting role of money in politics, and nowhere is this sentiment more clear than in the growing civil disobedience that is the Occupy Wall Street movement.  In the midst of this, some good news exists: for dissappointed independents, there is now a concrete electoral outlet for the frustrations about our broken economy. 
It's called Americans Elect, and it is the first nomination convention with direct representation.  That means every registered voter who signs in to the website can have an equal say in the selection of a third-party candidate who will be on the ballot in all 50 states - no circus of primaries, caucuses, endorsements, and insider speculation involved.  Americans Elect is securely on the ballot in many states already with 1.94 million signatures and counting, and they're in good position to reach their aim of fielding a national candidate.
The process of selecting a candidate has three initial steps.  First, voters answer questions about which policies they favor and where they stand ideologically.  I've answered an even 200 so far.  Then, the community brainstorms about which questions a candidate should be able to answer.  Third, users float names on the website or with the hashtag #WhoWillAmericansElect as potential choices.  So far, I've heard names including Buddy Roemer (R), Bernie Sanders (I), and even Elizabeth Warren (D).  Although final selection of a candidate is limited to verified registered voters, anyone can participate in the first three stages.
One thing that has made a big impression on me is the post-partisan, moderate, sensible atmosphere on the website.  It's filled with informed people who are deeply concerned with the future of United States and eager to select a competent President not beholden to special interests.  I won't be a registered voter at the time of the convention (although I will be able to vote in Nov. 2012), so I can't help select what could be the first third-party candidate with a decent shot to win since Ross Perot.  But if you are interested, I encourage you to sign up and be a part of democracy in action!