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Democracy

Fix the system
before it fixes itself.

Dark money. Gerrymandered maps. A captured Supreme Court. Voter suppression that operates openly in broad daylight. American democracy has been under systematic attack - and the attackers are very clear about what they're doing. We have to be equally clear about stopping them.

The Damage in Numbers

This is not normal. Don't normalize it.

$16B

Dark money spent in U.S. elections since Citizens United (2010) - with no disclosure required

1%

of donors provide about 70% of all federal campaign contributions - less than 1 million people setting national policy

6-3

Supreme Court supermajority appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote - before a single case was heard

14M

Americans purged from voter rolls between 2016-2022, according to Brennan Center data

How We Got Here

Democracy doesn't fail overnight. It fails rule by rule.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010) was not a natural disaster. It was a 5-4 Supreme Court decision that turned democracy into an auction house. Corporate spending in elections immediately skyrocketed. The interests of donors began to systematically override the interests of voters.

Shelby County v. Holder (2013) gutted the Voting Rights Act - eliminating the preclearance requirement that prevented states with histories of discrimination from implementing new voting restrictions without federal approval. Within 24 hours of the decision, Texas implemented a strict voter ID law that had been blocked for years.

The Supreme Court's current composition reflects the work of a coordinated legal-political movement (the Federalist Society, the Heritage Foundation, dark money networks) to place ideological partisans - not neutral jurists - on the Court. The result is a 6-3 supermajority willing to overturn settled precedent and make policy from the bench.

Project 2029 treats the democracy crisis for what it is: an emergency requiring structural reform, not incremental adjustment.

What Project 2025 Did to Democracy

  • Proposed dismantling the independence of federal agencies - placing all regulatory power directly under presidential control, ending the separation of functions that prevents authoritarianism
  • Reinstated Schedule F - allowing the president to convert up to 50,000 federal civil servants into at-will political appointees, ending the professional civil service
  • Weaponized DOJ to prosecute political opponents and protected presidential allies from prosecution
  • Eliminated the Election Assistance Commission - the federal agency that coordinates election security
  • Proposed gutting the FEC's enforcement authority, further enabling dark money in elections

The Plan

What Project 2029 proposes.

Based on Chapters 28-31 of Project 2029. Seven proposed constitutional amendments. Structural reform - not just policy patches.

The Seven Constitutional Amendments

Some problems require structural solutions. Project 2029 proposes 7 amendments to fix what legislation alone cannot.

28th Amendment
Voting Rights
Establishes affirmative right to vote, prohibits voter suppression tactics by name
29th Amendment
Presidential Accountability
No president is above the law. Eliminates absolute immunity. Criminal accountability for all.
30th Amendment
Citizens United Reversal
Corporations are not people. Money is not speech. Democracy is not for sale.
31st Amendment
Senate Reform
Reforms Senate terms and structure to better represent actual population distribution
32nd Amendment
Electoral College Reform
Ensures the president elected by more voters actually becomes president
33rd Amendment
SCOTUS Reform
18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices. Depoliticize the nomination process.
34th Amendment
Economic Rights
Enshrines Social Security, Medicare, and the right to organize in the Constitution
1

SCOTUS Reform and Term Limits

End lifetime appointments for the most powerful judges in the world

Establish 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices through legislation (or constitutional amendment if challenged). Create a rotating panel system where retired SCOTUS justices rotate back to Circuit Court duties. Eliminate the ability of any single president to appoint more than 2 justices per term by codifying a fixed appointment schedule. Establish a Supreme Court Code of Ethics with an enforcement mechanism (currently, the only federal judges without mandatory ethics rules are the 9 justices). Require public disclosure of all hospitality, gifts, and paid travel received by justices.

Legal Authority: Art. III - legislation can set the number and conditions of justices; Congress sets SCOTUS jurisdiction
2

Democracy for All Act (Citizens United Reversal)

Take the money out of politics

Pass the Democracy for All constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United - allowing Congress to limit corporate spending in elections. In parallel, enact the DISCLOSE Act: requiring all political spending above $10,000 to be disclosed within 24 hours, regardless of entity type. Establish a small-dollar public financing system: $6 federal match for every $1 donated to participating candidates (up to $250), funded by a 0.1% tax on financial transactions. Prohibit foreign-owned entities from any U.S. political spending.

Legal Authority: First Amendment (as amended by 30th Amendment); Article I; Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
3

Voting Rights Restoration Act

Make it easier to vote - everywhere

Restore and dramatically expand the Voting Rights Act. Reinstate preclearance with a new formula based on recent violations. Require automatic voter registration at all federal agencies (DMV, SSA, etc.). Mandate 15 days of early voting and mail-in voting for all states. Make Election Day a federal holiday. Eliminate polling place closures that disproportionately affect minority communities. Restore voting rights to all Americans who have completed their sentences - including the 5.2 million currently disenfranchised due to felony convictions.

Legal Authority: 15th Amendment; 14th Amendment Equal Protection; Article I, Section 4 (Elections Clause)
4

Independent Redistricting Commission Act

End partisan gerrymandering - nationally

Require all states to use independent redistricting commissions for congressional and state legislative districts. Establish federal criteria: districts must be geographically compact, must not dilute minority voting power, and may not be drawn to favor any party. Prohibit state legislatures from overriding independent commission maps. Create a federal Redistricting Equity Review Board to enforce standards. Reverse the gerrymandered maps currently in effect pending new commission-drawn maps.

Legal Authority: Article I, Section 4 (Elections Clause); 14th Amendment; Rucho v. Common Cause (2019) - federal statutory fix
5

Restore Civil Service Independence (Reverse Schedule F)

A professional government - not a loyalty test

Rescind Schedule F on Day One via executive order. Introduce the Civil Service Protection Act codifying Schedule F's prohibition in statute - requiring a 60-vote Senate supermajority to change, insulating it from future executive action. Restore all career employees fired under Schedule F with back pay and full reinstatement rights. Establish civil and criminal penalties for political interference with career civil servants. Rebuild the Office of Personnel Management as an independent agency.

Legal Authority: Civil Service Reform Act (5 U.S.C. ยง 2301); Pendleton Act principles; 1st Amendment (Elrod v. Burns)
6

Presidential Accountability Act

No president is above the law - full stop

Pass legislation codifying that sitting presidents may be indicted and prosecuted for federal crimes - overriding the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel opinion that has prevented presidential prosecution. Introduce the 29th Amendment: explicitly removing absolute presidential immunity for acts taken in office. Establish an independent Special Counsel office with statutory independence, appointed by a judicial panel rather than the Attorney General. Prohibit presidential pardons for co-conspirators in crimes in which the president is alleged to be involved.

Legal Authority: Art. II, Sec. 4; 5th Amendment Due Process; Trump v. United States (2024) - statutory override
7

DOJ Independence and Rule of Law Restoration

The Department of Justice works for the Constitution - not the president

Codify DOJ independence through the DOJ Independence Act: establishing a 5-year fixed term for the Attorney General (removable only for cause), prohibiting presidential communications about ongoing investigations, requiring the AG to testify to Congress quarterly about any presidential contacts. Establish an independent Inspector General with subpoena power and self-reporting authority. Restore all DOJ cases that were dropped or manipulated for political reasons under review by a bipartisan panel.

Legal Authority: Art. II, Section 3; Article I oversight power; Morrison v. Olson (1988)

Take Action

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

The only way authoritarian movements win is if democratic movements stay home.

Vote in Everything

Primary elections. Local elections. Off-year elections. That's where democracy is won or lost.

Register Now →

Demand Reform

Ask your representatives to cosponsor the DISCLOSE Act, the For the People Act, and SCOTUS ethics reform.

Contact Your Rep →

Run for Something

School boards. County commissions. State legislature. Local races matter enormously. You can win.

Run for Office →

Read the Full Chapters

Chapters 28-31 cover legal accountability, structural safeguards, transformation, and constitutional hardball.

Read the Plan →

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