Our mission at Unravel the Ruckus is to restore integrity and fairness to the American political system. Our not-for-profit corporation is dedicated to promoting a Constitutional Amendment that would require the selection of members of the House of Representatives by lottery for one term, two years only.
At Unravel the Ruckus, we believe that every American should have an equal chance of serving in Congress. We want to end the political careerism and constant fundraising that have come to define our current political system. By selecting representatives at random, we can ensure that our elected officials are truly representative of the American people and that their focus remains on serving the needs of their constituents, not their own self-interest. We are committed to working towards this goal through education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing, and we invite all Americans who share our vision to join us in this important work. Come join us at: UnravelTheRuckus.com.
We believe that the current political climate is characterized by a lack of integrity, a focus on money, and an entrenched political class that has lost touch with the needs and desires of the American people. By implementing a lottery system for selecting our representatives, we seek to create a more democratic and representative government that is truly accountable to the people.
Our goal is to create a short break in the current political system, giving Americans the opportunity to elect a new House of Representatives that is truly representative of the diversity of our country and not beholden to special interests. For only one two-year term, by taking the power of selection away from politicians and political parties, we hope to create a more equitable and just political system that is responsive to the needs and desires of all Americans. This two-year experiment will prove that normal, law-abiding citizens can accomplish a reset to the current political hailstorm.
At Unravel the Ruckus, we believe that every American should have an equal chance of serving in Congress. We want to end the political careerism and constant fundraising that have come to define our current political system. By selecting representatives at random, we can ensure that our elected officials are truly representative of the American people and that their focus remains on serving the needs of their constituents, not their own self-interest.
We believe that by implementing this system, we can restore trust in our political institutions and create a more democratic and representative government. Our current political climate is plagued by corruption and greed, where our leaders’ moral compass often points only to money.
At Unravel the Ruckus, we believe that the influence of special interests and lobbyists has led to a significant erosion of our democracy. To ensure that our elected representatives serve the interests of the people, we support a ban on lobbyists’ access to our randomly selected House of Representatives members during the two-year period.
Lobbyists represent special interests, and their influence on our political system often leads to the passing of legislation that serves the interests of a few rather than the many. By banning lobbyists from contacting our chosen representatives, we can ensure that the voices of the American people are the only ones being heard in Congress.
At Unravel the Ruckus, we believe that our democracy works best when it is representative of all Americans, not just those with the most money and influence. By removing the influence of lobbyists, we can create a political system that truly works for the people and not just for special interests.
The House of Representatives is known as the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, and it currently counts 435 men and women among its members. House members represent a specific geographic district within the state, known as congressional districts, which are currently polluted by gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a political party. House members may serve an unlimited number of two-year terms. Under our experiment, those chosen will be replaced after two years with the conventional election process, without the vitriol.
Our proposed requirements to become a U.S. Representative include all requirements already in place according to Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, as follows: House members must be:
The rate of pay for those chosen would be at the current salary of $174,000 per year. Representatives are also provided 75% paid health insurance as well as other benefits. No other requirements are specified in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, except that all members must take an oath to support the U.S. Constitution prior to being sworn into office.
Our Constitutional Amendment will also make it a requirement that no citizen is permitted to participate in the lottery if they have a felony conviction in any U.S. state or territory. Additionally, any felon chosen in the U.S. House drawing will be charged with a felony violation of our proposed Constitutional Amendment.
Our amendment requires a clear, entirely random process for selecting citizens. This process includes:
Once selected, citizens will receive training and resources to effectively serve as representatives. Training could include parliamentary procedure, legislative drafting, and public speaking, among other skills.
Our amendment will also provide an internet platform for communication: citizens with their randomly selected representatives, representatives with each other, and with other branches of government. This may include the creation of new support staff to assist representatives in their work.