James Wilson Quotes

As nearly as practicable one man's vote in a congressional election is to be worth as much as another's.

The conception of political equality can mean only one thing—one person–one vote.

Every citizen of this country should be guaranteed that their vote matters, that their vote is counted, and that in the voting booth, their vote has a much weight as that of any CEO, any member of Congress, or any President.

This House is not prepared to enfranchise all men.

It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting.

It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting.

The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood - rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky - they all turn out in one day.

I am sure that every one of my colleagues - Democrat, Republican, and Independent - agrees with that statement. That in the voting booth, every one is equal.

When women are pessimistic about their political strength and feel hopeless about changing the conditions of their lives, it is almost as if they do not believe that democracy means the country belongs to them. But it's true.

Logically, in a society ostensibly grounded on representative government, it would seem reasonable that a majority of the people in a State would elect a majority of that State’s legislators.

The right to vote freely for the candidate of one’s choice is of the essence of a democratic society, and any restrictions on that right strike at the heart of representative government

Who are to be the electors? Not the rich more than the poor, not the learned more than the ignorant, not the haughty heirs of distinguished names more than the humble sons of obscure and unpropitious fortune. The electors are to be the great body of the people of the United States.

Our "pathway" is straight to the ballot box, with no variableness nor shadow of turning...We demand in the Reconstruction suffrage for all the citizens of the Republic. I would not talk of Negroes or women, but of citizens.

Every citizen's vote should count in America, not just the votes of partisan insiders in the Electoral College.

Many Americans do not realize that we could institute proportional representation for most elections in the U.S. without amending the Constitution. In helping to educate the public about the potential for voting system reform, CVD can play a central role in a pro-democracy movement right here in America!

Everybody's vote should count equally in the United States.

Democracy is not just voting for your leaders; it's really premised upon ordinary citizens understanding the issues.

Let the people decide whom to vote for, who has more authority. And only people, only our citizens, are able to place the final emphasis, voting for this or that person or political force, or rejecting it. That's democracy.

Elected representatives are so embedded in the basic notion of what constitutes a democratic nation that it has become indistinguishable from any other form of democratic governance.

It is an essential tenet of our whole representative form of government, the idea that there should not be some tyranny which makes it so nobody can even have a chance to vote.

A man without a vote is man without protection.

Elections matter, but how much they matter depends entirely on how free, open and fair they are.

Suffrage is the pivotal right.

But no, I'm not political. My obligation is to pull the lever and elect somebody who's going to make life a little better for everybody, especially those who don't have as much good fortune as others.

Organising free and fair elections is more important than the result itself.