Rep. Jamie Raskin calls for democratic reforms in Somerset July 4 address

Representative Jamie Raskin delivered a wide-ranging July 4 speech in Somerset, using the independence anniversary to argue for democratic reforms and to trace U.S. history from the Declaration of Independence through later constitutional amendments.

Raskin praised the Amendment process and civil-rights advances, invoked Frederick Douglass and Tom Paine, and urged changes he described as overdue. "How about it's time we start electing the president the same way we elect governors and senators and representatives and mayors? Whoever gets the most votes wins," Raskin said, arguing the Electoral College has produced presidents who lost the popular vote and has contributed to contested outcomes.

He also urged admitting Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico as states: "Our friends down the road, the people in Washington DC have asked to be admitted as the 51st state," he said, and argued Puerto Rico's 3.5 million citizens are "locked out of their own government." Raskin linked the need for reform to recent threats to democratic norms, referencing the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol as an example of the Electoral College's risk of producing contested outcomes.

Raskin framed these policy positions within a historical narrative about expanding American democracy, citing the 13th, 14th and 19th amendments as instances where the nation grew more inclusive. His remarks were delivered at a community celebration and drew no direct rebuttal in the recorded program.

The speech was part of Somerset's formal July 4 program and was followed by community recognitions and festivities.