• Obtain timely, accurate and complete information from their government;
• Communicate such information and their judgments to one another through modern technology;
• Band together in civic associations in pursuit of a prosperous, just, and free society.

The separation of ownership of major societal assets from their control permits the concentration of power over such assets in the hands of the few who control rather than in the hands of the many who own. The owners of the public lands, pension funds, savings accounts, and the public airwaves are the American people, who have essentially little or no control over their pooled assets or their commonwealth. A growing and grave imbalance between the often-converging power of Big Business, Big Government and the citizens of this country has seriously damaged our democracy. Corporations have perfected socializing their losses while they capitalize on their profits. It's time to end corporate welfare and the legal fiction that a corporation is a person entitled to the same rights under the Constitution as a natural person. The power of civic action is an antidote to abuse. As we look at the dismantling of democracy by the corporatization of society, we need to rekindle the democratic flame. As voter citizens, taxpayers, workers, consumers and shareholders, we need to exercise our rights and, as Jefferson urged, counteract the excesses of the monied interests.

A. POLITICAL REFORM

The Green Party of Utah proposes a comprehensive political reform agenda calling for real reform, accountability, and responsiveness in government. Political debate, public policy, and legislation should be judged on its merits, not on the quid pro quo of political barter and money. We recognize individual empowerment, full citizen participation, and proportional representation as the foundation of an effective and pluralistic democracy. We believe in multi-party democracy (for partisan elections) as the best way to guarantee majority rule, since more people will have representation at the table where policy is enacted.

1. We propose comprehensive campaign finance reform, including caps on spending and contributions, at the national and state level, and/or full public financing of elections to remove undue influence in political campaigns.
2. We will work to ban or greatly limit political action committees and restrict soft money contributions.
3. We support significant lobbying regulation, strict rules that disclose the extent of political lobbying via gifts and contributions. Broad-based reforms of government operations, with congressional reorganization and ethics laws, must be instituted
4. We demand choices in our political system. This can be accomplished by proportional representation voting systems such as:
• Choice Voting (which is candidate-based)
• Mixed Member Voting (which combines with district representation); and/or
• Party List (which is party based), and semi-proportional voting systems such as:
• Limited Voting and
• Cumulative Voting. All are used throughout the free world and by U.S. businesses and community and non-profit groups to increase democratic representation. We call on local governments to lead the way toward more electoral choice and broader representation.
5. We believe that a simple majority is necessary for an electoral mandate. Accordingly, we call for the use of instant runoff voting in chief executive races (mayor, governor, president, etc.) where voters can rank their favorite candidates (1,2,3, etc.) to guarantee that the winner has majority support and that voters aren't relegated to choosing between the lesser of two evils.
6. The Electoral College is an 18th century anachronism. We call for a constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College and providing for the direct election of the president by Instant Runoff Voting. Until that time, we call for a proportional allocation of delegates in state primaries.
7. At every level of government, we support Sunshine Laws that open up the political system to access by ordinary citizens.

B. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

We support citizen involvement at all levels of the decision-making process and hold that DIRECT ACTION can be an effective tool where peaceful democratic activism is appropriate. We support the right to non-violent direct action that supports Green values. Using our voice to help others find their voice, a Green Party of Utah should spring from many sources: state and local Green Party of Utah electoral efforts, individual efforts, political involvement and direction at every level. As Greens, we look toward forming bioregional confederations to coordinate regional issues based on natural and ecosystem boundaries instead of traditional political ones. We encourage building alternative, grassroots institutions that support participatory and direct democracy at the local level. Greens advocate direct democracy as a response to local needs and issues, where all concerned citizens can discuss and decide questions that immediately affect their lives, such as land use, parks, schools and community services. We would decentralize many state functions to the county and city level and seek expanded roles for neighborhood boards and associations. We call for more flexibility by allowing states and jurisdictions local decision-making while at the same time maintaining and enhancing federal guarantees in the areas of civil rights protections, environmental safeguards, and social safety net entitlements.

1. We endorse and advocate citizen rights to initiative, referendum and recall. We believe that these tools of democracy should not be for sale to the wealthy who pay for signatures to buy their way onto the ballot.  Therefore we call for a certain percentage of signatures gathered to come from volunteer collectors. Requiring all political parties to gather signatures every election cycle that total a very small percentage of the local population, is an idea that should be given consideration; a requirement to gather a certain amount of $5 donations in order to acquire public campaign finance funding. These reforms would keep all of the parties tied to the people and prove that they have grassroots support.
2. We call for citizen control of redistricting processes and moving the backroom apportionment process into the public light. Minority representation must be protected and secured in order to protect minority rights.
3. We will act to broaden voter participation and ballot access, urging universal voter registration and an Election Day holiday.
4. We believe that a binding "none of the above" option on the ballot should be a permanent part of every state ballot; binding meaning that for single seat positions, if "none of the above" gets the most votes another election must be held with entirely new candidates.
5. We believe that providing free television and mail under reasonable conditions for every qualified statewide, congressional, presidential candidate and party can move the political process toward increased participation.
6. We support statehood for the District of Columbia.  The residents of D.C. must have the same rights as all other U.S. citizens to govern themselves and to be represented in both houses of Congress.
7. We call for the implementation of Children's Parliaments, whereby representatives elected by students discuss, debate, and make proposals to their city councils and school boards.

C. COMMUNITY

Community is the basic unit of green politics because it is personal, value-oriented and small enough for each member to have an impact. We look to community involvement as a foundation for public policy. Social diversity is the wellspring of community life, where old and young, rich and poor, people of all races and beliefs can interact individually and learn to care for each other, to understand and cooperate. We emphasize a return to local, face-to-face relationships that humans can understand, cope with, and care about. We call for an end to fear-based isolation from our neighbors and support initiatives that seek to restore the bonds within our entire community. We support the leading-edge work of non-profit public interest groups, and those individuals breaking out of careerism to pursue non-traditional careers in public service. Similarly, we support alternative, community-based systems treating neither the artwork nor the artist as a commodity. Freedom of artistic expression is a fundamental right and is a key element in empowering communities and moving us toward sustainability and respect for diversity. Artists can create in ways that foster healthy, non-alienating relationships between people and their daily environments, communities, and the Earth. This can include both artists whose themes advocate compassion, nurturance, or cooperation; and artists whose creations unmask the often-obscure connections between various forms of violence, domination, and oppression, or effectively criticize aspects of the very community that supports their artistic activity. The arts can only perform their social friction if they are completely free from outside control.

1. We call for the end of the race to the bottom, where states and cities compete with each other to become the lowest bidder for prospective corporate capital investments. For this reason welfare, tax breaks, and subsidies for corporations must be abolished by law. However, we are open to the possibility of subsidies for locally owned and operated community spirited businesses that pay living wages.
2. We call for expanded public transportation, and convenient playgrounds and parks for all sections of cities and small towns, and funding to encourage diverse neighborhoods.
3. We call for social policies to focus on protecting families. The young citizens of tomorrow are increasingly at risk. A children's agenda should be put in place to focus attention and concerted action on the future that is in our children. Programs must be encouraged to ensure that children, the most vulnerable members of society, will receive basic nutritional, educational and medical necessities.
4. We support successful prenatal programs and Head Start as well as neighborhood childcare cooperatives and after school programs.
5. It is our realization that a living family wage is vital to the social health of communities.
6. We support a rich milieu of art, culture, and significant programs such as the Utah Arts Council and Utah Humanities Council. Furthermore, the Green Party of Utah supports:

1. Eliminating all laws that seek to restrict or censor artistic expression, including withholding of government funds for political or moral content.
2. Increased funding for the arts appropriate to their essential social role at all levels of government: Local, and State.
3. Community-funded programs employing local artists to enrich their communities through public art programs. These could include, but would not be limited to, public performances, exhibitions, murals on public buildings, design or re-design of parks and public areas, storytelling and poetry reading, and publication of local writers.
4. The establishment of non-profit public forums for local artists to display their talents and creations. Research, public dialogue, and trial experiments to develop alternative systems for the valuation and exchange of artworks and for the financial support of artists (e.g., community subscriber support groups, artwork rental busts, cooperative support systems among artists, legal or financial incentives to donate to the arts or to donate artworks to public museums).
5. Responsible choices of non-toxic, renewable, or recyclable materials and choosing funding sources not connected with social injustice or environmental destruction.
6. Education programs in the community that will energize the creativity of every community member from the youngest to the oldest, including neglected groups such as teenagers, senior citizens, prisoners,immigrants, and drug addicts. These programs would provide materials and access to interested, qualified arts educators to every member of the community who demonstrates an interest. We also encourage local artists and the community to contribute time, experience, and resources to these efforts.

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