|
Andrew Yang on Government Reform
Democratic Presidential Challenger & Tech CEO
|
|
Make Election Day a national holiday
Q: How would you change things as far as campaign financing?YANG: We need to publicly finance elections. There are many, many things we should do to improve our democracy. Every Democrat believes we should overturn Citizens United that has allowed
dark money into politics. The two tough truths around this, it requires a supermajority to overturn Citizens United, and corporate money ran our elections and our government before that ruling. It just became more extreme afterwards. But we should have
ranked choice voting in this country so that people can actually vote the way they want and not be worried about "wasting their vote." We should have Election Day be a national holiday. We should automatically register new voters to make it easier for
people to register to vote, instead of having these obstacles. And again, the best way out is for us to publicly finance these elections through a democracy dollars program so that anyone who wants to give to a candidate has 100 free dollars to do so.
Source: CNN N. H. Town Hall on eve of 2020 N. H. primary
, Feb 5, 2020
Banning Electoral College non-starter; reform system
Candidates who say we should abolish the Electoral College, one, it would require a dozen states to shoot themselves in the foot and say they don't want that kind of power anymore, which is a nonstarter.
But, two, it would end up disadvantaging rural areas, because you would just campaign in major media markets, and that's not what the framers of the Constitution intended. We have to work with the system we have and reform it.
[On delays in election tallies]:This was an avoidable error that shot the party in the foot. And it's going to be harder to convince
Americans that we can entrust massive systems with government if we can't count votes on the same night in a way that's clear, transparent, and reliable.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: Presidential/NYC Mayoral race
, Feb 5, 2020
Foreign meddling in our elections is an act of aggression
Q: If you win the 2020 election, what would you say in your first call with Russian President Vladimir Putin?YANG: Well, first, I'd say "I'm sorry I beat your guy." Or not sorry.
And, second, I would say the days of meddling in American elections are over and we will take any undermining of our democratic processes as an act of hostility and aggression. The American people would back me on this.
We know that they've found an underbelly and they've been clawing at it, and it's made it so that we can't even trust our own democracy. The third thing
I would say is that we're going to live up to our international commitments. These are the ways that we'll actually get Russia to the table and make it so they have to join the international community and stop resisting appeals to the world order.
Source: November Democratic primary debate, on impeaching Trump
, Nov 20, 2019
Automatic voter registration & lower voting age to 16
Andrew believes we need to increase voting access through automatic voter registration, lowering the voting age to 16, and restoring voting rights to individuals who have committed crimes that
don't deprive others of their ability to vote. He also believes we need to make voting more accessible and ensure that everyone can exercise their right to vote. Studies have found almost no credible instances of voter fraud.
Source: USA Today on 2019 Democratic primary
, Nov 7, 2019
Wash out corrupt lobbyist money with people-powered money
Q [to Senator Elizabeth Warren]: Should American foreign policy be based around the principle of climate change?WARREN: Yes. Why doesn't it happen? As long as Washington is paying more attention to money than it is to our future, we can't make
the changes we need to make.
YANG: To follow up, why are we losing to the fossil fuel companies?
WARREN: Yes.
YANG: Why are we losing to the gun lobby and the NRA? And is answer is this: our government has been overrun by money and
corporate interests. Now, everyone here has a plan to try to curb those corporate interests, but we have to face facts. Money finds a way. Money will find its way back in. So, what is the answer? The answer is to wash the money out with
people-powered money. My proposal is that we give every American 100 "Democracy Dollars" that you can only give to candidates and causes that you like. This would wash out the lobbyist cash by a factor of eight to one. That is the only way we will win.
Source: September Democratic Primary debate in Houston
, Sep 12, 2019
You get what you measure, so decide what to measure
The Business Roundtable recently announced that they need to have a broader view of their own economic impact than shareholder value. They need to expand it to stakeholder value, which includes their impact on the environment.So, working with
businesses. First, a carbon fee is going to go a long way, because all of a sudden they have to pay when they pollute. So that's going to be immediate. And they will do the right thing by their own businesses.
But the second thing is,
if we make economic impact part of our economic measurements, and then each company has to report on them, then you will see their behavior change very, very dramatically, because, in this country, you aim towards what you measure.
One of the big problems in America is, we are measuring the wrong things. Under my presidency, we will start measuring the right things. And businesses will be my willing partner in this.
Source: CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall marathon (10 Democrats)
, Sep 4, 2019
Democracy Dollars will wash out lobbyist cash
My plan is to give every American citizen 100 democracy dollars that you can give to any campaign or candidate that you like in any given year. This would wash out the lobbyist cash by a factor of 8-1, it would make it so that I'm a candidate and you
like me and I get 10,000 Americans to like me in a congressional race, that's $1 million. Then when the fossil fuel company come and says I've got a check for $50,000, you can say I don't need your $50,000 check, I have the people.
Source: Climate Crisis Town Hall (CNN 2019 Democratic primary)
, Sep 4, 2019
Electoral College should not be eliminated
Andrew Yang on Electoral College: The Electoral College should not be eliminated.TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Rep. John Delaney; Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Three Democrats do not support eliminating the Electoral College. Delaney dismissed the
idea as impractical. Both Hickenlooper and Yang have expressed reservations about the idea. Instead, Yang, on his campaign's website, calls for reforms to the Electoral College by "making electors determined on a proportional basis."
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
, Jul 17, 2019
Change Electoral College by proportional allocation of votes
Perhaps his most unusual proposal pertains to the Electoral College. Yang instead calls for the states to allocate delegates on a proportional basis,
like Maine already does. Yang also proposes making this proportional Electoral College system mandatory through a constitutional amendment.
Source: The New Republic magazine, articles on 2020 candidates
, May 13, 2019
Congress should lower Federal voting age to 16
Yang's proposal to lower the voting age to 16 years old would also face complications. "At 16, Americans don't have hourly limits imposed on their work, and they pay taxes," he argues. "Their livelihoods are directly impacted by legislation, and they
should therefore be allowed to vote for their representatives." Yang calls on Congress to set the voting age to 16 in federal elections. The problem is that federal lawmakers can't force states to lower their voting ages in local elections.
Source: The New Republic magazine, articles on 2020 candidates
, May 13, 2019
Electoral College: allocate state votes proportionally
He supports automatic voter registration, statehood for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, and ending felony disenfranchisement and partisan gerrymandering. Perhaps his most unusual proposal pertains to the Electoral College.
Yang calls for the states to allocate delegates on a proportional basis, like Maine already does. Yang also proposes making this proportional Electoral College system mandatory through a constitutional amendment.
Source: The New Republic on 2019 Democratic primary
, May 13, 2019
Lower voting age to 16 in federal elections
Yang's proposal to lower the voting age to 16 years old would face complications. "At 16, Americans don't have hourly limits imposed on their work, and they pay taxes,"
he argues. "Their livelihoods are directly impacted by legislation, and they should therefore be allowed to vote for their representatives." Yang calls on Congress to set the voting age to 16 years old in federal elections.
Source: The New Republic on 2019 Democratic primary
, May 13, 2019
Supports statehood for DC & Puerto Rico
I'm 100 percent for D.C. statehood. You should have been a state a long time ago. And I am also for Puerto Rican statehood, which is also long overdue.
It's like a statement I make is that if Puerto Ricans looked like Swedes, they would have been Americans a long time ago.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
, Apr 14, 2019
Create department to regulate social media
Q: Should we have a department overseeing social media?YANG: Yes, department of the attention economy, because the data clearly shows that in addition to the problems in our democracy because people are getting information through social media, we're
also seeing a huge surge in a depression, anxiety and emotional issues, particularly among adolescent girls. You see that the surge in anxiety and depression among teenage girls in particular is coincident with smartphone adoption and social media.
Source: ABC This Week 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls
, Apr 7, 2019
Adopt ranked-choice voting model for all primaries
One reason we sometimes wind up with extreme politicians is that we have a one-round process that does not always reflect people's true preferences. Ranked choice voting would help reward candidates who command broad support and would
lead to better results. The process matters.Problems to be solved: - Our current plurality/first-past-the-post system drives tactical voting and partisanship while not necessarily reflecting the will of the majority.
As President, I will...Push the DNC to adopt a ranked-choice voting model for all democratic primaries.
- Work with Congress to adopt ranked-choice voting for all federal elections.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Yang2020.com
, Mar 29, 2019
Provide every eligible voter with $100 Democracy Dollars
The big problem right now with running for office is that you have to get the money on your side and the people on your side, and these are two different things. Imagine if every American had $100 Dollars to give to their favorite candidate--then if
you get 10,000 people behind you, you'd get $1 million. You could then act in the best interests of the people you represent instead of sucking up to rich people and companies. Calling rich people for money is soul-crushing. We'd all be better off if
politicians just needed to worry about representing the people that elected them rather than hustling for money all of the time.As President, I will...- Provide every eligible American voter with $100 Democracy Dollars for each
federal election cycle, a voucher that they can use to support candidates of their choosing.
- This amounts to $23+b nationwide per election, allowing for more than 4x the spending fueled by mega-donor contributions and dark money.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website Yang2020.com
, Mar 29, 2019
Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United
Money has overrun our politics, and that needs to change. I will gladly overturn Citizens United and return the American government to its people. This would also improve policymaking as leaders can turn toward solutions instead of constantly trying to
raise money for their next campaign. Let's get big money out of politics once and for all--we'll all be much better off for it. I don't love calling rich people either, nor does any sane person.As President, I will...-
Support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, which was a terrible decision that has made our politics even more polarized.
- Support a public financing system of elections to reduce the influence of money in our democracy and open
up the field beyond the very wealthy.
- Eliminate super PACs and vessels for corporate intervention in campaigns.
- Enforce our current campaign finance laws to curb corruption.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website Yang2020.com
, Mar 29, 2019
Make Puerto Rico a state
Yang wants to make the U.S. territory of
Puerto Rico an official state.
Source: Townhall.com: 2020 Democratic primary "Candidate profiles"
, Feb 6, 2019
Page last updated: Apr 29, 2021