There have been many instances where Congress has enacted policies the public didn’t support. After the next election cycle, many politicians who voted to implement the policy lost their re-election. Unfortunately, the harm has already occurred. Obamacare is a perfect example of this in action. In the mid-terms following the implementation of Obamacare, many legislators were replaced by opponents against Obamacare. The replacement of the legislators came after irreparable harm was done to our healthcare system.
Time and time again, people feel betrayed by politicians who support programs that benefit the politicians and the state but harm the people. Politicians promise to vote a certain way but do the opposite once in office. Before taking office, a promise of honor and consequence can limit politicians from breaking promises.
For the people to have representation on such issues, there must be a confirmation vote following the next election cycle before implementation. This way, if a legislator votes in favor of a policy the public rejects, the people can replace that legislator with an opponent who vows to vote against the policy on the confirmation vote. If the people support the policy, they will vote to keep the legislator(s) who supported it. Politicians should fear the people’s wrath before they can implement harmful policies.
Politicians should vote on the issue, then their votes are recorded and cannot be changed. After the first round of voting, the elections will determine whether the constituents supported the ballot by their representative. Should the people replace their representative, the previous rep’s vote shall be vacated and replaced by the vote of the incoming representative. The only votes counted are the votes made before the election by reps who are still in office and votes by incoming reps. Reps who kept their office cannot re-vote on an issue. Otherwise, they could vote against a policy only to vote for it in the second round and use the process to deceive the people.
Any policies voted on during a lame-duck session should also be subject to a confirmation vote. It is dangerous when a legislator has lost their re-election campaign yet still has the opportunity to vote on upcoming issues. The likelihood of such a person voting in their interests while ignoring the good of the people is relatively high. The vote of an outgoing legislator should be confirmed by their replacement for the people to have representation.
Treaties with other nations should fall under confirmation votes as well.
Without such a policy, politicians can vote in a program that benefits them financially while betraying the public.