A member of Congress actually has a lot of tools to defend the Constitution and push back against authoritarian and autocratic drift—IF they’re willing to use them. Here’s a concrete, practical list, of what I intend to do.

1. Use legislative power to shore up democracy

A. Protect free and fair elections

• Strengthen voting rights:

  • Restore and expand the Voting Rights Act (e.g., modern pre-clearance rules for ALL states).

  • Support legislation that provides automatic voter registration, same-day registration, expanded early voting, and robust, secure vote-by-mail.

  • I believe we can both have voter ID laws while protecting the sacred right to vote. Democrats should ensure that any state with a voter ID mandate that the state is compelled to provide a same day ID if the purpose of the ID is to ensure they can vote in an election.

  • While the Right to Vote is provided in the Constitution in a couple forms, its language carveouts for age, race, color or previous condition of servitude have been misused by courts to limit the scope of the right to vote. I would propose updating the 15th and/or 26th Amendments to make it CRYSTAL clear "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State for ANY REASON."

• Protect election workers:

  • Criminalize threats and harassment of election officials and poll workers at the federal level.

  • Fund better security and legal support for local election administrators to ensure we do not have intimidation.

• Make subversion harder:

  • Clarify that state legislatures and Congress cannot simply override certified election outcomes without clear, lawful cause.

  • Require paper ballots or auditable paper trails and routine risk-limiting audits.

B. Codify guardrails on presidential power

• Reform the Electoral Count Act (already partially done): continue tightening procedures so Congress’s role is purely ministerial, limiting opportunities for bad-faith objections.

• Limit emergency powers:

  • Narrow the National Emergencies Act so a president can’t declare endless “emergencies” to bypass Congress.

  • Require automatic sunset and affirmative congressional reauthorization of emergency declarations.

• Clarify the Insurrection Act:

  • Tighten when the president can deploy federal troops domestically.

  • Require clear legal standards, time limits, and congressional notification/oversight.

• Protect DOJ independence:

  • Codify norms that the president cannot direct specific prosecutions or use DOJ to target political enemies.

  • Require logs and transparency around White House–DOJ contacts involving specific cases.

C. Strengthen rule-of-law institutions

• Set minimum standards and funding for public defenders, civil legal aid, and court access—rule of law is hollow if only the wealthy can use it.

• Support reforms that improve judicial ethics and transparency, especially for the Supreme Court (mandatory ethics code, clearer recusal standards, disclosure of gifts and conflicts).

• Ban the use of state elections for judges with the exception of recall or retention elections. Judges should be appointed based on transparent, merit based recommendations that work to remove partisanship in the judiciary.

2. Use oversight power aggressively and fairly

A. Hold real hearings (not just partisan theater)

• Call hearings on:

  • Politically motivated pressure on DOJ, FBI, and other law-enforcement agencies.

  • Corruption, self-dealing, and abuse of office (e.g., using office for personal gain, emoluments problems).

  • Attacks on election workers, journalists, or peaceful protesters.

• Bring career civil servants, nonpartisan experts, and whistleblowers forward to testify and build the public record.

B. Protect whistleblowers and civil servants

• Strengthen whistleblower protections so people can report abuse without retaliation.

• Provide independent counsel and stronger anti-retaliation remedies for career officials who resist unlawful orders.

• Make it harder to purge civil servants for political reasons—blind loyalty should not replace competence and nonpartisanship.

C. Demand transparency

• Use Congressional subpoena power to obtain documents and testimony when the executive branch refuses to cooperate.

• Push for:

  • Public visitor logs at the White House and key agencies.

  • Disclosure of significant communications with lobbyists and foreign governments.

  • Strong enforcement of FOIA and preservation of government records.

3. Defend checks and balances—even when it’s inconvenient

A. Resist power grabs by any president

• Oppose executive orders that clearly bypass Congress’s role in making major, lasting law.

• Challenge unconstitutional or authoritarian moves in court, even if they are politically popular in the short term.

• Refuse to rubber-stamp appointments of openly unqualified or extremist nominees to the courts, law enforcement, or intelligence agencies.

B. Uphold congressional prerogatives

• Guard Congress’s power of the purse:

  • Restrict the ability of the executive to reprogram or divert funds for unauthorized purposes (e.g., building things Congress declined to fund).

• Protect war powers:

  • Insist on congressional authorization for major military actions.

  • Use sunset clauses and mandatory re-votes on broad post-9/11 authorizations for the use of military force.

4. Protect fundamental rights and vulnerable groups

Authoritarian systems usually start by dehumanizing and disempowering specific groups.

A. Stand up for civil liberties

• Oppose laws that criminalize protest, dissent, or journalism under vague labels like “disorder” or “extremism.”

• Strengthen protections against mass surveillance and data collection without warrants.

• Support robust protections for free speech—even when it’s speech you personally dislike.

B. Protect minority communities and dissenters

• Enforce anti-discrimination and civil-rights laws in voting, housing, employment, policing.

• Investigate and expose patterns of racially biased policing, hate crimes, or governmental targeting of particular communities.

• Resist attempts to label broad categories of political opponents as “enemies” or “traitors.”

5. Model democratic norms in everyday behavior

This is less about law, more about culture—and it matters.

A. Refuse to normalize lies about elections

• Publicly and consistently affirm certified election results, even when our preferred candidate loses.

• Reject conspiracy theories about “rigged” elections unless backed by credible, adjudicated evidence.

• Correct misinformation coming from our own party or allies.

B. Respect opponents as legitimate

• Do not call for jailing political rivals simply because they’re rivals.

• Avoid demonizing rhetoric that suggests certain groups of Americans are less “real” or less deserving of rights.

• Support bipartisan basic rules—like accepting peaceful transfers of power.

C. Be transparent and accountable personally

• Disclose finances, taxes, and potential conflicts of interest beyond the minimum legal requirement.

• Hold regular town halls, answer hostile questions, and publish clear summaries of my votes and positions.

6. Build pro-democracy coalitions

An individual member of Congress is powerful, but coalition-building multiplies that power.

• Join or form cross-party caucuses focused on democracy protection (election integrity, rule of law, anti-corruption).

• Work with state and local officials (secretaries of state, election boards, AGs) to support secure and accessible elections.

• Partner with civil-society groups (ACLU, NAACP, League of Women Voters, Protect Democracy, etc.) to bring external expertise and public pressure.

7. Educate and mobilize the public

Authoritarianism thrives on apathy and confusion.

• Use my platform to explain, in simple language:

  • What the Constitution actually says.

  • Why independent courts, free press, and peaceful transfers of power matter to everyday life.

• Publish common language explainers of:

  • What I will do if a president defies a court order.

  • What happens if an election is disputed.

  • What protections ordinary people have if government targets them unfairly.

• Encourage civic participation:

  • Promote jury service, voting, running for local office, volunteering as a poll worker.

  • Support civic education funding in schools.

8. Red lines must be clear and said out loud

A member of Congress can publicly articulate clear “red lines” and I commit to these specific actions:

• If any president refuses to accept an election loss or tries to overturn results, I will vote to certify the true results, support impeachment if necessary, and back lawful investigations.

• If a president orders DOJ to prosecute political opponents without credible evidence, I will publicly oppose it, push for special counsel review, and legislate additional safeguards.

• If federal troops are deployed domestically against peaceful protesters without clear legal basis, I will support immediate investigations and, if warranted, restrictions on funding or authority.