Ready to work for political change you can count on?

•Vote on "Democracy Days," not Tuesdays. We should vote on weekends or make Election Day a national holiday. We wouldn't advise a new democracy to vote on workdays. Why do we do it here?

•Automatically register all voters. The government knows how to find us for war or taxes. It should use this prowess to register us to vote, as governments do in most other advanced nations.

•End gerrymandering. Nonpartisan commissions should be established to draw legislative district lines to maximize competition and fairness. Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.

•Establish proportional representation. Our system of winner-take-all elections awards all legislative seats only to parties already able to win pluralities in geographic districts. Proportional representation gives all parties a fair share of seats based on the percentage of the vote each gets. This would boost voter choice and break the two-party duopoly.

•Directly elect the president. Five states have already signed a compact to give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. If states adding up to a majority of electors sign on, the Electoral College will become history.

•End the revolving door between Congress and K Street. Members of Congress should be constitutionally barred for life from working as paid lobbyists. If politicians want to "serve the people," that's a price they'll pay.

•Pass the democracy amendment. Believe it or not, the word "democracy" never appears in the Constitution. Let's put it there to create a clear constitutional standard for future legislation and Supreme Court rulings.

Some may find this agenda too procedural, even a bit dull. That group won't include political elites desperate to keep their power. To them it will be a radical, direct threat.

With so little to lose and so much to gain, let's create a new national movement to revitalize American democracy. The agenda for change is there. It only awaits a "Continental Army" of new winter patriots, willing to sacrifice just a little to defend American democracy so much.

Tom De Luca is professor of political science at Fordham University. He is a coauthor of "Liars! Cheaters! Evildoers! Demonization and the End of Civil Debate in American Politics" and "The Democratic Debate: American Politics in an Age of Change." He's also the radio host of “American Dialogue with Tom De Luca,” beginning September 14 at 6pm, at www.talkingalternative.com.

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