MANDATE - CACTUS 2008

1. The 2008 Citizens’ Assembly for Critical Thinking about the United States (CACTUS) must study models and proposals for electing the President of the United States and the Vice-President, and recommend whether the process, including the current “electoral college” method of electing these officials as described in the U.S. Constitution, Article II and Amendment XII, should be retained or another method should be adopted.
2. In carrying out this mandate, the Assembly must:
   • become well informed as to the current method and possible alternative methods;
   • consult with other citizens in the Eastern Kentucky University community of students, faculty, and staff and provide them the opportunity to make submissions to CACTUS in writing and/or orally at public hearings;
   • develop in detail two alternative methods and debate and decide between them;
   • re-examine the current system and then debate and decide between it and the chosen alternative.
3. If the Assembly recommends adoption of a new system for electing the President and Vice-President, the new system must be described clearly and in detail and its superiority to the present system and to the other alternative considered must be explained in the final report and if a Constitutional amendment would be required, proposed language for the amendment must be included.
4. If the Assembly recommends to keep the current system, a final report must be written explaining the reasons for this decision and the superiority of the current system to the two alternative models developed by the Assembly.
5. The recommendation described in section A must
• be limited to the way in which votes cast by the people become translated into a choice of President and Vice-President of the United States and
• take into account the potential effect on the federal division of powers, the political party system, and the effective governance of the United States, and be consistent with the basic principles of representative democracy.
6. Issues that arise in deliberations or public hearings that are beyond the scope of the mandate but that the Assembly believes to be relevant to the process may be addressed in the final report.
7. Whether or not the Assembly chooses to replace or alter the current system, they must produce a clearly-worded referendum question to this effect to be voted on by the university community.
8. The Assembly must make its decision and approve a referendum question no later than April 23, and must complete and approve its final report no later than April 30.
9. The referendum question must be posted no later than April 30, 2008, and voting will continue through May 8, 2008. The decision of the voters shall be announced at the last meeting of the Assembly on May 9, 2008.