Open Our Democracy Act of 2014
Latest action · Sep 26, 2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 31, 2014
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Open Our Democracy Act of 2014 - Requires all candidates for election to the House of Representatives to run in a single open primary, regardless of political party preference.
Limits the ensuing general election to the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the single open primary.
Gives candidates the option, at the time of filing to run for office, to declare a political party preference, which does not constitute or imply endorsement of the candidate by the party designated.
Treats the general election day in the same manner as a legal public holiday for purposes of federal employment.
Expresses the sense of Congress that private employers should give their employees a day off on the general election day in November 2016 and each even-numbered year thereafter to enable them to cast votes in elections held on that day.
Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the feasibility and desirability of enacting national standards and criteria for congressional redistricting.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 10, 2014 to Sep 18, 2014.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CO | Jared Polis | Sep 10, 2014 | |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | Sep 18, 2014 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Committee on House Administration | Referred Jul 31, 2014 |
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Jul 31, 2014 |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 31, 2014 |
| Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee | Referred Sep 26, 2014 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 26, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
- Jul 31, 2014Introduced in House
- Jul 31, 2014Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H7186.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To require all candidates for election for the office of Member of the House of Representatives to run in a single open primary regardless of political party preference, to limit the ensuing general election for such office to the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in such single open primary, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Open Our Democracy Act of 2014
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Commemorative events and holidays
- Congressional districts and representation
- Congressional elections
- Congressional oversight
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Employee leave
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government studies and investigations
- House of Representatives
- Political parties and affiliation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 31, 2014Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
