Campaign, Election, And Democratic Integrity Reform Act

Written By Kenneth Bessemer

Campaign, Election, And Democratic Integrity Reform Act

TITLE I — GENERAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the
“Campaign, Election, and Democratic Integrity Reform Act.”

SECTION 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE

Congress finds that:

  1. Democratic legitimacy depends on informed consent, lawful process, and good-faith participation.

  2. Democracy fails not only through overt force, but through deception, concealment, procedural abuse, and manipulation.

  3. Existing law inadequately addresses coordinated interference across campaigns, elections, legislation, courts, finance, and digital platforms.

  4. Political disagreement, dissent, failure, and incompetence are not crimes.

  5. Fraud, deception, concealment, manipulation, and abuse of democratic systems are crimes.

The purpose of this Act is to:

  • establish enforceable standards of eligibility, performance, transparency, and seriousness for public office;

  • eliminate structural incentives for deception and graft;

  • criminalize intentional interference with democratic processes;

  • preserve free speech while eliminating anonymous manipulation;

  • restore public trust through accountability rather than censorship.

 

SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this Act:

  1. “Democratic process” includes elections, candidacy, campaigning, legislation, oversight, adjudication, and public deliberation.

  2. “Knowing deception” means intentional falsehood, concealment, or misrepresentation of material facts.

  3. “Manipulation” means abuse of systems, process, authority, or resources to distort democratic outcomes.

  4. “Candidate” means any person seeking public office at any level of government.

  5. “Officeholder” means any elected or appointed public official, including federal judges.

  6. “Platform” means any digital service, system, or network that allows political speech or coordination.

  7. “Political speech” means speech intended to influence elections, legislation, governance, or public policy.

TITLE II — CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY AND CAMPAIGN READINESS

(Non-Criminal — Mandatory Minimum Standards)

Nothing in this Title creates criminal liability.

SECTION 4. PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CANDIDACY

  1. No individual may:

    • declare candidacy,

    • register for a ballot,

    • or raise campaign funds

unless and until the individual has publicly submitted:

a. Ten (10) policy commitments; and
b. A written implementation plan for each commitment.

  1. Each plan must be:

    • complete at the time of submission;

    • written in plain language;

    • dated and publicly accessible;

    • immutable once filed.

  2. Statements of intent, aspiration, future study, or “details forthcoming” do not qualify.

  3. A candidate may not register or appear on a ballot with a promise of future planning.

❌ Failure to comply results in disqualification only.
❌ No criminal liability attaches.

SECTION 5. TRUTH AND SERIOUSNESS IN CAMPAIGNING

  1. Campaigns may not knowingly misrepresent:

    • policy intent;

    • implementation feasibility;

    • funding sources;

    • or material facts relevant to governance.

  2. Campaign speech remains protected under the Constitution and subject only to:

    • post-hoc review,

    • eligibility consequences,

    • or criminal liability only if fraud or manipulation is proven under Title VII.

TITLE III — LEGISLATIVE PERFORMANCE AND WORK REQUIREMENTS

(Non-Criminal — Mandatory Minimum Standards)

Failure under this Title triggers automatic review under Title VIII.
Failure alone does not constitute a crime.

 

SECTION 6. PUBLIC OFFICE IS FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT

  1. Holding public office constitutes full-time public employment.

  2. Campaigning, fundraising, party functions, media appearances, and personal branding:

    • do not substitute for legislative work;

    • do not excuse nonperformance;

    • do not reduce required workload.

Public office is not a lifestyle. It is work.

SECTION 7. SINGLE-SUBJECT LEGISLATION REQUIREMENT

  1. All bills shall address one subject only.

  2. Each bill shall be coded to one primary policy category.

  3. Riders, unrelated provisions, bundled legislation, and omnibus measures are prohibited.

  4. Unlimited subtopics are permitted only within the single category.

Bills that cannot be cleanly categorized are procedurally invalid.

SECTION 8. MANDATORY LEGISLATIVE OUTPUT

  1. During weeks in session, the legislative body shall consider no fewer than fifteen (15) single-subject bills per week.

  2. Bills shall be:

    • limited in scope;

    • readable;

    • compliant with Section 7.

Small, frequent, comprehensible legislation is presumed workable.

 

 

SECTION 9. SESSION AND ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

  1. Legislators must be in formal session at least three (3) days per week during working weeks.

  2. Legislative days shall be used for:

    • drafting;

    • hearings;

    • debate;

    • voting.

Absence for non-legislative purposes does not excuse noncompliance.

SECTION 10. VOTING OBLIGATION

  1. Each officeholder must participate in votes sufficient to meet the legislative output requirements.

  2. All votes shall be publicly recorded.

  3. Failure to vote without documented cause constitutes dereliction of duty.

SECTION 11. PROHIBITION ON LEGISLATIVE COMPRESSION

No bill may be expanded in scope or length for the purpose of:

  • reducing the number of votes required;

  • accelerating adjournment;

  • avoiding scrutiny;

  • or consolidating unrelated matters.

Convenience is not a justification.

 

 

 

SECTION 12. WORKLOAD BURDEN CLAIMS

  1. If legislators assert that workload requirements are unmanageable, they must submit:

    • sworn public statements;

    • hours worked;

    • bills reviewed;

    • votes cast;

    • committee participation.

  2. Only upon proof may:

    • additional representatives be considered;

    • procedural capacity be expanded.

Claims without proof are insufficient.

SECTION 13. OVERSIGHT DUTY AND SERIOUSNESS

  1. In hearings or oversight proceedings, an officeholder may not evade accountability by claiming:

    • “I do not recall”;

    • “My staff handled it”;

    • “I was unaware”

for matters within their authority, approval, or responsibility.

  1. Knowledge is presumed where the matter:

    • bears the officeholder’s signature;

    • was approved, funded, or defended by them;

    • falls within their role.

  2. Repeated evasion or refusal to engage constitutes incompetence.

❌ Consequence: removal from office or ineligibility
❌ Not criminal unless fraud or manipulation is proven under Title VII

SECTION 14. AUTOMATIC REVIEW TRIGGER

Repeated failure, incompetence, or borderline conduct under this Title shall trigger mandatory review by the Integrity Review Body established in Title VIII.

Review does not mandate criminal charging.

 

TITLE IV — CAMPAIGN FINANCE TRANSPARENCY AND CONFLICT ELIMINATION

(Non-Criminal — Mandatory Minimum Standards)

Violations under this Title result in disqualification, civil penalties, or automatic review.
Criminal liability applies only if fraud, concealment, or manipulation is proven under Title VII.

SECTION 15. UNIVERSAL CONTRIBUTION REGISTRATION

  1. All political contributions shall be:

    • registered in a public, searchable database;

    • disclosed in real time;

    • attributed to the true and original source of funds.

  2. No intermediary, pass-through entity, or shielding mechanism may obscure the origin of political contributions.

Political funding anonymity is prohibited.

SECTION 16. ELIMINATION OF POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES

  1. Political Action Committees (PACs), Super PACs, and any functionally equivalent entities are prohibited.

  2. Contributions may originate only from:

    • natural persons; or

    • registered corporate entities acting in their own name.

Layered influence structures are incompatible with democratic transparency.

SECTION 17. CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS WITH TRANSPARENCY

  1. Corporate political contributions are permitted subject to:

    • full public disclosure;

    • mandatory classification under the policy-category system established in Section 7.

  2. Corporate contribution limits may be adjusted to reflect economic scale, provided transparency requirements are met.

Spending is permitted. Concealment is not.

SECTION 18. CONFLICT-BASED VOTING PROHIBITION

  1. An officeholder who has received political contributions from a corporate entity classified under a given policy category may not:

    • sponsor;

    • co-sponsor;

    • vote in favor of;

    • or influence legislation

within that same policy category.

  1. The officeholder may:

    • vote against such legislation; or

    • abstain with a public explanation.

Money may not purchase favorable lawmaking.

 

 

 

 

SECTION 19. AUTOMATED CONFLICT ENFORCEMENT

  1. All legislative votes shall be automatically cross-checked against:

    • contributor classifications;

    • officeholder funding records;

    • bill subject codes.

  2. Where a conflict is detected:

    • the vote shall be procedurally blocked;

    • the attempted action shall be logged publicly.

No discretionary override is permitted.

SECTION 20. QUOTA PRESERVATION

Conflict-based voting restrictions shall not reduce:

  • required attendance;

  • voting quotas;

  • legislative workload obligations.

Officeholders must fulfill duties through conflict-free categories.

TITLE V — PLATFORM TRANSPARENCY AND VERIFIED POLITICAL SPEECH

(Non-Criminal — Accountability Without Censorship)

SECTION 21. UNIVERSAL PLATFORM APPLICABILITY

  1. This Title applies to any platform that permits political speech, regardless of size.

  2. This includes:

    • public platforms;

    • private servers;

    • invite-only groups;

    • systems with as few as ten (10) users.

Privacy does not apply to political power.

SECTION 22. MANDATORY IDENTITY VERIFICATION

  1. Platforms shall require legal identity verification for all users engaging in political speech.

  2. Verification shall be:

    • government-issued ID or equivalent;

    • revalidated annually.

Anonymous political amplification is prohibited.

SECTION 23. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS

For verified political accounts, platforms shall publicly display:

  1. Country of origin;

  2. Number of active accounts linked to the same verified identity;

  3. Aggregate indicators of network or IP clustering.

Disclosure shall be visible at the point of interaction.

SECTION 24. COORDINATED ACTIVITY LABELING

  1. Platforms shall detect and label coordinated political activity.

  2. Such activity shall be marked publicly as:
    “Coordinated Political Activity Under Review.”

Removal is not required absent adjudication.

 

 

SECTION 25. PLATFORM LIABILITY

  1. Platforms are not required to censor speech.

  2. Platforms are liable where they knowingly:

    • permit unverified political accounts;

    • fail to disclose required information;

    • materially benefit from deceptive political activity.

Safe harbor applies only upon proof of good-faith enforcement.

TITLE VI — ELECTION INTEGRITY AND NON-INTERFERENCE

(Automatic Review — Criminal Liability Only Upon Proof)

SECTION 26. PROHIBITION ON ELECTION MANIPULATION

No person may knowingly:

  • interfere with ballot access;

  • abuse legal process to block candidacy;

  • distort election timing or disclosure;

  • coordinate deception to influence electoral outcomes.

SECTION 27. BAD-FAITH LEGAL ACTIONS

  1. Filing or coordinating legal actions for the purpose of interfering with elections or governance triggers automatic review.

  2. Criminal liability applies only if knowing deception or manipulation is proven.

TITLE VII — CRIMINAL INTERFERENCE WITH DEMOCRACY

 

 

SECTION 28. CORE OFFENSE

A person commits Criminal Interference with Democracy if they knowingly and willfully:

  1. Falsify or conceal material facts to influence democratic processes;

  2. Abuse legal, legislative, judicial, or administrative authority to manipulate outcomes;

  3. Coordinate deceptive political activity, including bot operations;

  4. Personalize public power or resources for political gain.

SECTION 29. NON-PARDONABILITY

No offense under this Title shall be subject to pardon, commutation, or clemency.

Crimes against democracy are crimes against the public trust and are not forgivable by executive action.

SECTION 30. EXCLUSIONS

The following are not crimes under this Act:

  • political disagreement;

  • lawful advocacy;

  • good-faith failure;

  • rejected plans;

  • legitimate litigation;

  • incompetence absent deception.

SECTION 31. PENALTIES

Upon conviction under Section 28:

  1. Imprisonment of not less than twenty (20) years;

  2. Permanent disqualification from public office;

  3. Forfeiture of assets used in furtherance of the offense.

 

AMPAIGN, ELECTION, AND DEMOCRATIC INTEGRITY REFORM ACT

TITLE VIII — BAD-FAITH LAWS AND CRIMES AGAINST THE PUBLIC

(Review-First Framework — Criminal Liability Only Upon Proof of Fraud or Manipulation)

SECTION 32. DUTY OF PUBLIC INTEREST IN LAWMAKING

  1. All laws shall be enacted in good faith and in service of the public interest.

  2. Laws enacted through deception, concealment, coercion, or abuse of authority violate democratic consent.

  3. Harmful outcome alone does not constitute criminal liability; however, harmful outcomes trigger mandatory review.

Bad policy is not a crime.
Bad-faith lawmaking is not protected.

SECTION 33. CATEGORIES OF LAWS SUBJECT TO AUTOMATIC REVIEW

Any enacted law shall be subject to automatic review by the Integrity Review Body if credible evidence indicates the law:

  1. Causes destruction of federal land or natural resources;

  2. Permits or enables pollution resulting in death or long-term harm;

  3. Removes or infringes constitutionally protected rights;

  4. Violates the separation of church and state;

  5. Removes, diminishes, or transfers Indigenous land, sovereignty, or protections;

  6. Mandates purchase of goods or services under false or misleading premises;

  7. Creates insurance or financial mandates with knowingly false benefit claims;

  8. Facilitates tax evasion, corporate graft, or regulatory capture;

  9. Deliberately dismantles public transportation or public infrastructure to benefit private or fossil-fuel interests;

  10. Otherwise produces demonstrable public harm inconsistent with stated legislative intent.

SECTION 34. REVIEW PROCESS FOR BAD-FAITH LAWS

  1. Upon review, the Integrity Review Body shall determine:

    • whether the law violates public interest standards;

    • whether evidence of knowing deception, concealment, or manipulation exists.

  2. Review shall be:

    • evidence-based;

    • publicly documented;

    • subject to judicial oversight.

SECTION 35. IMMEDIATE INVALIDATION AUTHORITY

  1. If a law is found to violate the standards set forth in Section 32 without requiring criminal findings:

    • the law shall be immediately invalidated.

  2. Invalidation does not require:

    • legislative repeal;

    • executive action;

    • or delay for political process.

No repeal bans, limits, or procedural shields may override invalidation under this Act.

 

 

 

 

SECTION 36. OFFICEHOLDER CONSEQUENCES FOR INVALIDATED LAWS

  1. If an officeholder sponsors, authors, or votes for three (3) or more laws that are invalidated under this Title:

    • the officeholder shall be removed from office for incompetence.

  2. Removal under this Section:

    • carries no criminal penalty;

    • does not imply criminal guilt;

    • does not bar private employment.

Public power requires competence.

SECTION 37. CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR BAD-FAITH LAWMAKING

  1. Criminal liability arises only if review establishes:

    • knowing deception;

    • concealment of material facts;

    • manipulation of process;

    • or abuse of authority.

  2. Such conduct shall be prosecuted exclusively under:
    Criminal Interference with Democracy (Title VII).

TITLE IX — JUDICIAL INTEGRITY AND NON-INFLUENCE

SECTION 38. APPLICATION TO FEDERAL JUDICIARY

  1. This Act applies to:

    • all federal judges;

    • including Supreme Court Justices.

  2. Judicial independence does not include immunity from:

    • influence violations;

    • bad-faith conduct;

    • or manipulation of democratic systems.

SECTION 39. PROHIBITION ON INFLUENCE AND PERSONALIZATION

Federal judges may not:

  1. Accept or respond to external political influence;

  2. Coordinate with legislative or executive actors outside lawful process;

  3. Personalize judicial authority for political or ideological outcomes.

Violation triggers mandatory review.

SECTION 40. REMOVAL AUTHORITY

The Integrity Review Body may:

  1. Remove federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices, for violations under this Act;

  2. Refer criminal matters where deception or manipulation is proven.

Judicial status does not override democratic accountability.

TITLE X — INTEGRITY REVIEW BODY

SECTION 41. ESTABLISHMENT

There is hereby established an Integrity Review Body (IRB), independent of:

  • the Executive Branch;

  • the Department of Justice;

  • the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

  • the Secret Service.

SECTION 42. POWERS AND DUTIES

The Integrity Review Body shall:

  1. Conduct automatic reviews triggered by this Act;

  2. Enforce non-criminal compliance standards;

  3. Invalidate laws under Title VIII;

  4. Remove officeholders for incompetence or violation;

  5. Refer matters for prosecution under Title VII where appropriate;

  6. Protect due process and public transparency.

SECTION 43. LIMITATIONS

  1. The IRB may not:

    • prosecute criminal cases;

    • issue criminal sentences.

  2. Criminal prosecution remains within judicial authority.

TITLE XI — FINAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 44. NON-RETROACTIVITY OF PENALTIES

  1. Criminal penalties under this Act shall not apply retroactively.

  2. Existing laws remain subject to review and invalidation.

  3. No post-facto criminal liability shall arise solely from past enactment.

SECTION 45. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of this Act is held invalid, the remainder shall remain in effect.

 

 

SECTION 46. EFFECTIVE DATE

This Act shall take effect:

  • immediately upon enactment for review provisions;

  • prospectively for criminal enforcement.

END

Kenneth Bessemer
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