America: Guarantee the Right to Vote for All

PROPOSED: That the Congress of The United States of American shall begin the process for enactment of a Constitutional Amendment for the sole purpose of guaranteeing to all citizens of the United States the right to suffrage in all federal, state and local elections. Suffrage shall mean the right to vote, petition or run for election or selection to any elected or non-elected position or body under these United States. Suffrage may not be extended to anyone or group of individuals who are not citizens of the United States.

I. Suffrage shall be extended to all citizens in the several states (and District of Columbia) where they are legally resident. No citizen shall have suffrage abridged for any reason except on account of lack of U.S. citizenship, felony conviction or not being of age of majority. The right to vote may be restored to a convicted former felon after a period of time prescribed by federal law for federal elections and by state law for state or local elections. In no instance shall a convicted former felon be denied the right to vote for more than a period of seven years after release from incarceration provided such convicted former felon shall remain free from further felony conviction during that seven year period. Convicted former felons shall lose the right to run for election to or appointment to any elected or non-elected governmental body under these United States.

II. Citizen-residents of U.S. territories and other non-state possessions shall have the right to suffrage in that territory's elections. Citizen-residents of territories or of non-state possessions shall not be eligible to cast ballots for the election of the President or Vice President except if such election shall occur within a two year period immediately preceding the admission of said territory or non-state possession to the Union.

III. Citizens of the United States who reside or are stationed outside of the U.S. shall be eligible to vote by absentee ballot for President and Vice President in a manner to be prescribed by law. Congress or the several states may provide for non-resident citizens to cast ballots for other elected positions.

IV. Enforcement of this right shall be entrusted to local, state and federal authorities under review of the appropriate judiciary. Individuals as well as groups of citizens may sue for and petition for redress of real or imminent abridgement or denial of this right independent of action by any local, state or federal authority. Either Congress or the states may require identification for participation in voting and or election to a governmental body provided that no fee is charged for the issuance of such identification and that it be provided to each citizen before the date of the election so that he or she may have it in their possession before the date of the election.

V. Congress shall have the sole authority to legislate on rules and regulations pertaining to federal elections. No citizen shall be allowed to cast more than one ballot in more than one state in each election and Congress shall issue rules and regulations to enforce this prohibition.

VI. The legislatures of the states and territories shall have authority to legislate on rules and regulations pertaining solely to the state or territory over which they have jurisdiction. No state or other jurisdiction shall allow a citizen to cast more than one ballot within their state or jurisdiction during each election.

VII. Neither the federal, state or local government nor any other entity within this nation shall support or allow suffrage to be denied or abridged on account of race, gender, religion or religious belief, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation or for any other reason not already delineated. No poll tax shall be allowed. All ballots must be provided in English and the English language ballot shall be the official ballot. Congress and the legislatures of the states at their own discretion and subject to judicial direction may allow for the usage and tabulation of official ballots in languages other than English provided they have the same information as those ballots provided in English. All legally cast ballots must be counted at each election.

VIII. Rules, regulations and procedures shall be promulgated by federal, state and local governments to allow for registration, political party enrollment, public election funding, date, time and place of voting, candidate eligibility and for any other election related activity, but in no instance shall these result in real or de facto abridgement or denial of suffrage. All rules, regulations and procedures shall be publicly published, disseminated and otherwise made widely and freely available in print, broadcast, electronic and other form for a period of seven weeks preceding such election. The time, place and date of voting shall be made known publicly at least seven weeks before the date of election and may be changed in the seven week period ...