When running for a public office, the constituents should be able to hold candidates to promises of “Honor and Consequence.” When a candidate stands and says, “I’m going to vote no on any bill which would raise the debt limit,” or “We need to close up for two weeks to stop the spread of this virus.” The supporters should be able to ask, “Are you willing to make a promise of Honor and Consequence on that?” If the candidate says yes and fails to do what they promised, they can be immediately dishonorably discharged and replaced by the winner of a special election.
If asked to promise Honor and Consequence and the candidate refuses, then you know they are lying. If they accept, they are now held accountable to their word.
Far too often, politicians tell people what the people want to hear just to get elected. Lying to get elected is an absolute betrayal of trust and needs to be addressed and punished immediately.
Every state’s Sheriffs should be empowered to elect a board of investigation and enforcement with the authority to remove any Governor, Senator, or State Representative violating their promise.
The Sheriffs are the closest to the people, and enforcement of betrayals of public trust should be in their hands. If a quorum of the Sheriffs votes to investigate a violation, then the investigation board is duty-bound to investigate. If the quorum is achieved and board members refuse to investigate, they can lose re-election.
If people get mad over a violation of trust, they can petition their Sheriff locally to take action and bring it to a statewide vote among the Sheriffs. Sheriffs risk being voted out of office if they fail to comply with the people’s wishes.