Political Party Entanglement

[Jonathan Buhacoff]

Proposal:

Elected and appointed officials in the Executive Branch, Investigative Branch, and Judicial Branch should be non-partisan.

The government should not be involved in the internal candidate selection process of political parties. Government funds should not be used to run such “party primary” elections.

Intent:

When officials in the Executive Branch, Investigative Branch, or Judicial Branch are partisans, it creates both an opportunity for and a perception of biased application of the law based on political party affiliation — both in zealous pursuit of political rivals, and refusal to apply laws that the partisan officials don’t support, or ruling in favor of political allies instead of based on the facts and the law.

Discussion:

Some ideas for keeping the Executive Branch, Investigative Branch, and Judicial Branch non-partisan:

Require that officials are not members of a political party. This does not prevent a person’s right to free association, because a person isn’t obligated to run for office or accept an appointment to office — a person could choose to remain in a political party and not be an official in the Executive Branch. To be elected or appointed to a position in the Executive Branch is a great honor, because those officials are charged with protecting and defending the Constitution, including the right to free association. Therefore, elected and appointed officials must choose to not associate with a political party, so they can avoid both the influence of a party and the perception of influence by a party, which could make it difficult or impossible to carry out their duties — for example if an opposing party gains a majority and impeaches them due to a perception of political bias. If a candidate for office is a member of a political party, they need to end that affiliation before accepting the office.

Include ethics in the oath of office. In addition to protecting and defending the Constitution, officials should also state that they will fulfill their duties with respect, honesty, and integrity.

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